Fire Emblem: The Miraculous Birthday
by Demons Anarchy of Pride
Summary: Destruction and Ruin. Creation and Salvation. All of these are but instruments in the cycle of that which is everlasting eternal. It is the wheel of fate that all life begins, and that all life shall end. However, the wheel of fate can often be overturned by human potential. This is the story of such individuals, who overcome fate. Darkness will fall... and the heavens shall rise.
1. Chapter 1: Rebirth and Reawakening

**Hello everyone, here is my latest, newest story, co-written by my best man, Code-Emperor07! If you don't know him, shame on you bastards! He's the brilliant son of a bitch who wrote Fractured Existence! Anyway, I warn you now, what you are about to read was done over Private Messaging, so it's quality might be poor, but you may like it. I hope you will enjoy it to it's fullest content! Also, a new poll will be posted on my page, in regards to the main pairing, so please, check it out. Well, without further ado... Welcome to Fire Emblem: The Miraculous Birthday!**

_"As of this moment... the world belongs to me!" -Lelouch vi Britannia, 99th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire  
_

**_Fire Emblem: The Miraculous Birthday_**

Darkness... that was all that surrounded him at the moment. It was like a murky black water, no ray of light to be found, as if only anything colored black could thrive here. He was unable to find himself able to move, his limbs frozen in place, and his body heavy. "So cold..." he muttered, his voice echoing in this inky black place.

Slowly, balls of light began to float from underneath him, rising up past him and reaching upwards. The darkness began to crack as the number of balls of light increased. "...You will no longer live..." he heard a voice echo, strangely similar to his own. There were voices echoing with it, each different from one another, and speaking all together, creating a symphony of gibberish. He could make out a few things, straining his ears as he did so.

"This... I do solemnly..."

"It's him... It's..."

"You're existence was...! I will be the one...!"

"When someone wins... will end..."

"It wasn't me who was... the world...!"

"The Power... will make you lonely..."

"Who..."

"I...destroyed the world..."

"your...punishment...shall be thus..."

"...and created..."

"...it's similar to a wish..."

"...Zero Requiem..."

"...A...new..."

The final words sparked recognition within his mind.

"N-Nunna...lly..."

The words were slowly fading away into the abyss, however, by now, all the darkness was starting to erode away, shards vanishing into what looked like streams of light. Feeling slowly returned, fingers twitching, and spasms occurring in the limbs. His memories were a blank, yet the names were scribbled there, as if black crayon was taken to a blank piece of paper.

Nunnally.

Suzaku.

Kallen.

Shirley.

Rivalz.

Nina.

Rolo.

Milly.

Euphie.

"M-my name..."

However, before the words could be uttered, before that memory could be taken, the darkness vanished, and he himself was swept in the tide of white...

...

"...Chrom, what should we do?"

The figure's eyes slowly adjusted to the white, gradually revealing the azure hue that is the midday sky. The sun's rays poured onto his face, making him raise an arm to block them from his line of vision. His eyes became trained on the faces of the people that stood above him

"Wait, I think he's coming to."

Slowly, he lowered his arm. Two people were in front of him, the first a young girl with blonde hair done in pigtails, and the second, a tall young man with dark blue hair, a pauldron resting on his shoulder. "Hey there..." the girl greeted, smiling slightly as the man offered him his hand. "The ground isn't the best place to take a nap, you know." he said, smiling as well. "Here."

He was hesitant at first, but clasped his hand around his. With a swift tug, he was pulled to his feet, setting himself at the man's nose.

"Are you okay? You were just lying on the ground there for a while now." the man asked in concern.

"I was...?"

"Yeah!" the girl nodded. "It looked like you were..." she stopped in mid-sentence, staring at his eyes with her mouth hanging open in shock. "Y-You're eyes..."

The man frowned, but looked closer. Behind the fringe of his bangs, he could see his eyes. A gasp nearly escaped him. 'That's...' Instead of violet orbs, he had glittering red ones with a familiar mark, a pair of curled wings around the center mark, resembling a pupil.

"Huh?" The man asked clueless. "Is something the matter?" He was slowly growing worried.

"Um...How should I put this...?" The man had no idea how to explain this phenomena to him without panicking.

The man tilted his head, wondering what was going on, but then he noticed his clothing. "Huh?" He looked down to see that he was wearing what looked like lavish robes, colored white with gold tailings. It looked like something a noble would wear, but to him, it looked unfamiliar.

"My Lord, are you alright?" The boy jumped, not noticing the presence of another. He was dressed in heavy armor, a fierce gaze at the ready, and brown hair.

"W-what...?"

"I was asking if you were alright. You seemed...disturbed." The man repeated, concern evident on his expression.

"Oh. I'm fine, Frederick." He told the man. Even though he was physically okay, the eyes of the stranger perturbed him. They possessed the same symbol as...

"So, are you alright there?" the girl asked the boy, recovering from her shock. "I've never seen you before... Actually, why did you decide to sleep under a tree?"

"I'll have to agree with my sister." the man said, nodding. "You look fine, but..."

"I..." the younger boy looked down, unsure of how to answer. "I don't..."

"You...don't remember...?" The azure haired man asked.

The stranger could only nod slowly.

"Hey, I've heard of this before!" the girl exclaimed, but was still both shocked and sad for the young man. "It's called amnesia!"

"It's called Horse Dung." the man named Frederick said, eyeing him carefully. "How can we trust him with what he says?"

"B-But..." the young man was beginning to grow distraught. He was lost, he had no memories to go on, all except for the names. He didn't remember their faces, in fact, he could hardly recall his own name.

"What if it is true, Frederick?" the man asked his knightly companion. "If he really does have amnesia, then we certainly can't leave him behind. Besides..." he leaned in closer to Frederick. "Look at his eyes..." he whispered, as to not attract attention.

Frederick looked at the black-haired stranger, and his eyes widened. "Oh..."

"H-huh?" the boy frowned. "Wh-why are you looking at my eyes?"

"They're, uh..." the girl stumbled with her words. "Kind of like..."

"K-kind of...what...?" The boy was growing more fearful and anxious by the minute.

"It's nothing." The man quickly reassured. "...It's nothing you should worry about."

"Do you have any personal belongings?" Frederick asked curiously. "It might help you remember."

The boy nodded, but he was still slightly confused about his eyes. He searched himself, though he only came up with what looked like a green rectangle, though some sort of locket hanged at the end. "What's that?" the girl asked, tapping it. She must have done something, because it snapped open a second later.

A beautiful melody played. The boy felt something wet travel down his cheeks, and wrapped a hand around one of them. "I'm... crying..."

"I don't exactly blame you..." the man said. "It's actually... very calming."

"Indeed." Frederick spoke. "It is a serene, fluid melody. As if it were the tranquil river stream within the woods."

"It's...so pretty..." The girl became lost in the music.

"Hm?" the boy looked at the object the musical heart was attached to, and noticed two initials written on the back. "L... L..."

"Initials..." Frederick noted. "Well, that is one step in the right direction."

"Indeed." the man nodded, smiling. "Well, having two letters is better than no name at all. Will L be fine with you?"

The boy nodded, slightly happy.

"L it is then." the man nodded again. "Well, I suppose introductions are in order. My name is Chrom, and this little damsel is my sister, Lissa."

"Hey!" the now-named Lissa growled, stomping her foot childlishly while pouting. "I am not a little damsel!"

Chrom couldn't help but laugh at his sister's display, while the boy felt a pang of nostalgia run through him, chuckling a bit himself. "And this," he gestured to the brown-haired Knight. "is Frederick the Wary."

"A title I shall carry with pride." Frederick answered without hesitation. "Lord knows what would happen if I didn't."

"Well, I suppose we should get going." Chrom suggested. "Do you think you can travel?"

L nodded, and placed the object and locket in his pocket, following the group into the road and on their way to their destination. "Say, L!" Lissa chirped up, wanting to strike up a conversation. "You're clothes are strange... are you a noble, by any chance?"

"I..." L hesitated. "I... don't know."

"Lady Lissa, L says he does not recall who he is." Frederick reminded her. "If his claim is true, I doubt he remembers anything about his past. Still, she does have a point. Perhaps you are from a wealthy family?"

"...maybe...but it's still all blank to me." L pressed a hand to his temple.

"it's alright." Chrom reassured him. "there is no need to rush."

'There's definitely no doubt about it.' Chrom thought, his eyes trained on the sigils. 'That's definitely the Mark of the Exalt... but, according to the records, someone had the mark in one of his eyes, but that just one of them. He has the mark in both eyes... Also, there's something... unnatural about them.'

"My lord?" Frederick asked his companion. Chrom turned to face him, and could tell the same thoughts were going through his mind.

"It's nothing, Frederick." Chrom assured him. "Anyways, let's hurry on. I want to reach the town before-"

"C-Chrom!" Said blue-haired man's eyes widened when he turned to see a shaken Lissa pointing a finger in the distance. L noticed this as well, and his eyes widened at what they saw. Smoke was rising into the air, and an orange glow scraping against the azure sky.

"What in blazes?!" Chrom scowled as he unsheathed his blade. "Lissa, Frederick, let's go!"

The blonde girl and the knight nodded, the later hopping on the horse that had been riding with them. L, on the other hand, looked bewildered, looking back and forth between Chrom and the fire. "W-wait, what about me?!" he asked.

"You stay here!" Chrom ordered him. "You don't have a sword with you! Besides, not to sound rude, but..." he looked at L's physical build... which was practically non-existent. 'It's a wonder how he hasn't been killed yet,' he wondered in amazement, having never seen such a scrawny build before. 'I suppose it's a good thing that we found him instead of brigands.' "You don't look like you'd be much use in a fight."

L looked down, embarrassed most likely, but before he could try and form some kind of rebuttal, Chrom and the others were already taking off. "W-wait!" he cried out, but they were gone. He couldn't help but look down at his hand, several thoughts running around in his head. 'What... should I do? Could I be... really of any use to them?'

...

...If a king doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?

The words spelled themselves out in his mind. His eyes widened at the foreign, yet familiar phrase. But...He wasn't a King. Hell, he didn't even know who he was. But still, the words make sense. If a King leads, it only shows that the trust between him and his people is strong. If he leads, the others will rise and follow. If he leads, they will perform most effectively. If he leads, he is independent. If he leads, he is strong. If he leads, he leads them to victory.

If a King were to remain at the rear...Then he is nothing but a cowardly weakling, letting others do the work for him.

"Ah, screw this!"

Without a second thought, he took off after Chrom and the others. He hadn't noticed a figure wearing a hood watching him from afar from behind a tree, long green hair flowing down from underneath the hood.

XXXXX

"Aaaaah!"

Chrom's feet skidded across the ground as he and the Shepherds arrived. His eyes widened, and a scowl followed soon after. Several Brigands, some warriors by their attire, and others mages, were robbing and looting anything in sight. The leader of the group looked to be a hobbled man, a crazed grin on his face, and an axe in hand. "Hahah!" the man cackled. "Take everything, boys! Anything shiny and valuable!"

"Damn bastards..." Chrom growled. "Lissa, stay behind us. Frederick, you're with me!"

"Understood, my lord." Frederick nodded, preparing his lance for battle. The Brigands noticed their presence, and stopped their looting. The warriors readied their blades, and the mages brandished their book of spells. The leader howled in laughter. "Ah, the Shepherds!" he grinned. "Here, sheepy sheepy! Come to the slaughter!"

'Plegian accent...' Chrom noted, anger rising. 'Of course they'd be behind this! We've got to finish this up quick.'

"Chrom!"

Alarmed by the familiar voice, the azure-haired man spun around. To his and his friends' horror, it was L. He was running towards the trio...in the middle of a battlefield!

He was foolish! He had no weapon, he barely has any strength in him, and it doesn't even seem that he has any fighting experience. Hell, he was practically out of breath when he made it halfway towards them.

"L, what in the world are you doing here?!" Chrom shouted. "You want to get killed?! This is no place for someone who doesn't know how to fight!"

"Don't you think..." L panted, his hands on his knees and sweat falling from his face. "I... know that...?!"

He gritted his teeth. "Then why are you-"

What L said shocked him. "Because I don't want to be useless!" he shouted at him. "If I stayed behind... and let you do all the fighting... I wouldn't be able to forgive myself...!" His fists clenched. "How can I sit back and watch innocent people die while the people who helped me are doing all the fighting?!"

L's words struck them at the core. He hardly knew them, but he was willing to help them. His determination to help the innocent, despite the danger to his own life, rang true.

None of them knew how to respond to his words. They may not know about his past, but they do know that he is a virtuous person.

'...He'd make a good Shepherd.' Chrom smiled as he tossed a spare blade to the boy. He was startled by the action, the sword fumbling in his hands before getting a good grasp. "Better start learning how to fight, L." Chrom advised. "You stay behind Frederick and me, and back up Lissa. If things get too dangerous, back off, you understand?"

"Y-yes!" L nodded as he placed himself into a stance. With that, the group was ready. The Brigands saw no more use wasting around in their little conversation, and attacked, a swordsman running at Chrom. L's eyes immediately went to him, watching the way how his body moved, from how he wielded the sword, and how he charged at Chrom.

The Brigand closed in with an amateur-ish, overhead swing. Chrom, using minimal movement, raised his blade to parry the opposing edge and while the enemy was staggering, slashed downward. Chrom's blade sliced through the man's leather armor, tearing into his flesh and bone. Blood splattered to the ground

"G-gyagh!" the swordsman yelped in pain as he staggered back, holding his shoulder. A nearby mage took the distraction to his advantage and began casting a spell, runes dancing around his body. L watched the movements carefully, patterns beginning to form all around him, and plans laying themselves out.

When the sword-wielding Brigand recovered, he was furious, and attacked again. However, this time, L saw opportunity.

"Chrom, parry his attack, then move to the right!"

The young man was surprised by his words, but quickly executed the order. After he blocked the incoming sword, he leapt to the right. At that moment, the Brigand mage finished his spell, hurling a fireball where Chrom had just stood. However, in his place now was the downed swordsman, who had no time to evade.

"Graaaagghhh!" The man was set ablaze.

"Yuck!" Lissa resisted the urge to vomit. "Fried Brigand!"

"Excellent move, L." Frederick nodded in approval. "But, how did you know where the mage would strike?"

"I... I have no idea." L confessed, shaking his head with confusion. "It's weird... I can... see things. I can see what they enemy can do, what their next move is, what they're likely to do..."

"Is that so..." Chrom muttered, a devilish smile on his face as he watched the mage looked startled by his actions before his face lit up with rage, and began to cast another spell. "In that case, L, tell us what to do next!"

L was startled by this order, but complied. Once again, he could see plans forming. He looked around the area, the market holding ideal barriers, abandoned shops acting as blockades. "Frederick, how fast is that horse?" L asked.

The knight immediately knew what L had in mind, and smiled. "Quite. Great Knights must always be swift."

"Play decoy, distract the mage! Chrom, move in from behind!"

"On it!"

Frederick charged forth with his horse, Chrom trailing behind. When Frederick was close enough, he shot off to the side, using the abandoned shops to cover him and he moved forward, toward the mage. The mage saw the Great Knight closing in at great speeds, forcing him to hastily prepare a spell. The runes danced, but more erratic than before. He shot off another fireball, but Frederick blocked it with his lance.

From the mage's standpoint, he failed to notice Chrom appear out of the alley way from behind.

Before the mage could ready another spell, Chrom's blade was already in motion, steel cutting across flesh. "Gah!" the mage howled, blood splatting out from his back. He didn't even have time to scream as Frederick charged in at full speed, his lance poised and ready. Chrom rolled out of the way, allowing the mage to be thrown off balance, slamming into a wooden shop. The whole thing collapsed on him, wood tumbling down and trapping him, the book sliding away. "Nicely done, Frederick." Chrom praised his knight before he noticed some small burns on the armor. "Are you okay?"

"Nothing to worry about, milord." Frederick answered without so much as hesitating. "Merely a flesh wound is all."

"Che!" the leader growled. "Prissy little brats!" He looked over at the other two brigands, one holding an axe, wearing what looked like tattered clothes with a skull helmet on his head, and the other holding a bow. "Get them!"

The archer moved in with the axe-wielder, but he stopped halfway, and prepared his arrow. Chrom growled as he blocked the first Brigand's strike, being pushed back a bit before swiping his blade to avoid being hit by an arrow. "Drat!" he cursed.

L's mind was working overtime. Plans danced along their feet, formulas and variables practically solving themselves. "Frederick, take care of the archer!" L said. "Use the shops as cover!"

"Understood!" the Great Knight nodded and kicked the horse. It gave a loud neigh, and charged, the archer already firing off more arrows. L looked over at Lissa. "I need you to back me up on this one..." he said quietly. The girl frowned, but nodded determinedly, clutching her staff tightly. L smiled, nodding backing and looked over at Chrom. "Chrom, switch places!"

The azure-haired man looked bewildered, about to refuse before he found the axe about to come down on him again. He barely blocked it, but the force was enough to send him to the ground. "Tch!" Chrom cursed himself, raising his blade to block another strike that the Brigand was preparing. However, before the strike came, L gave a battle cry and charged straight in, swinging the blade. It hit it's mark, slashing across the forearm. Blood splattered against his cheek, and the Brigand cried in pain, holding a wounded arm, unfortunately his dominant one. "Chrom," L looked over at his ally. "Go with Frederick, follow him from behind and aim straight for the leader."

Chrom's eyes widened. The plan was brilliant. While he and Frederick kept the other two distracted, the leader would be by himself. He should have given the boy more credit than he thought. 'When this is all over,' he chuckled as he got back up. 'remind me to ask him to be our tactician.' With that last thought, he charged straight in, following his knight from behind.

"D-dammit!" The leader cursed. All of his subordinates were taken out, leaving only himself. He realized that he had to run. He had to survive. At least he would get to live. He turned tail and ran...but he was too slow.

His eyes widened as he watched his archer fall, impaled by the Great Knight's spear, but horror washed over him as he watched Chrom leap from behind, blade in hand. "Twrooooagh!" the youth cried out as his body spun in mid-air, rolling with the blade stretched outward. The leader cursed again, and brought up his axe, blocking the strike. Sparks flied between them. "Damn little sheep!" he growled, pushing Chrom back. The young man was sent back, but landed perfectly on his feet, uninjured and fatigue found nowhere. He simply grinned as he aimed his blade at him, angering him further.

"Give up, Brigand." Chrom told him. "If you do so, I might consider sparing your life."

"...Hehehe...hahaHAHAHAHA! As if I would listen to a dumb brat like you!" The leader charged in with his axe raised again.

Chrom sighed, and lifted his body to the left, taking the blade in with both hands and blocking the strike easily. They backed off, but immediately returned back to their onslaught, steel grinding against steel. Sparks soared with each clash, but neither seemed to gain an edge on the other. "Damn brat!" the leader of the Brigands growled. "Hold still so I can cut you down!"

"Sorry," Chrom smirked. "Not exactly fond if getting cut in half."

"Chrom!" The leader backed off once their skirmish ended, the two falling back and placing distance between each other. L, Lissa, and Frederick came up from behind him, weapons at the ready. "They're all dealt with!"

"Heh, nicely done." the azure-haired man nodded in approval before turning his attention back to the Brigand. "Still want to fight? You're outnumbered, three to one!"

"Hey!" Lissa shouted indignantly. "What about me?!"

"Lady Lissa, you're not exactly a War Cleric yet." Frederick reminded her, causing her fiery attitude to deflat. L, on the other hand, tilted his head, wondering what a War Cleric was and if they specialzed in healing. Dealing with the swordsman while having no prior battle experience didn't help much, but thanks to Lissa's encouragements and healing, he was able to get back on his feet, time and time again. He eventually found holes in his enemy's attacks, and exploited them.

Poor guy didn't even see the blade aiming for his chest until it was too late.

"Che!" the leader spat. "Damn little pissants... Didn't know the Shepherds had a damned tactician with them!" he cursed his bad fortune until he heard soft m*** from behind him. "Eh?" he looked over his shoulder to see a woman lying on the ground, barely conscious. Her clothes were covered in soot, and burns were located along her arms. It appeared she tried to shield herself from the fire, possibly escaping a burning building. "Heheheh..."

L's eyes widened when he saw what the man was planning. "Frederick!"

The Knight nodded, and readied himself for the charge. However, unfortunately, the leader was faster, and grabbed the woman by the arm, hoisting her up and wrapping one of his arms around her throat. "Don't move!"

"one wrong move..." he inched the blade of his axe closer to the woman's face. "...and my hand just might slip!"

"Cowardly Bastard!"

"Why you...!" Lissa growled. "How could you?!"

"He is a Brigand, milady." Frederick said in distaste. "Scum such as him have no morals."

L tried to think of something, anything that could get her out of this situation. 'If only one of us could use magic, then we could aim at him- no, that wouldn't work! He'd use the woman as a shield before we could reach him! An archer? No, he wouldn't have the skills needed! Besides, none of us here knows how to use a bow!' He scowled, his hands clenched into fists, and his nails digging into the skin of his palms.

'Isn't there something I can do! Something other than strategies!'

...

'...have you truly forgotten the power you wield, Demon Emperor?'

'H-huh...?!' L was startled by the new, mental voice. It suddenly resonated inside his head. His eyes whipped around him, but saw nothing unusual. 'Was that...a hallucination?'

'...have you forgotten your power as the Demon Emperor...?'

'W-what?' L looked around again, but found nothing. However, for a moment, time seemed to come to a halt. The whole world became black and white, the flames halted, and the man stopped in mid-laugh. Chrom looked as if he was about to charge in, but his body was frozen in place. 'What is... going on?' he wondered before seeing someone emerge from an alley, right next to the church the leader of the Brigands was in front of. He was unable to see them clearly, their body covered in a black cloak with a hood over their head, but he was able to make out long green hair flowing from under the hood.

'Surely, you must remember...' the voice whispered, bearing a feminine tone. Was it the cloaked figure? But... how? 'The power you hold... the power that changed your world...'

"My..." L's lips moved, yet his body did not. It was as if only he was allowed to move in this place trapped by time. "Power...?"

'Yes, you're power... the absolute power to make all bow before you without condition... Do you not recall it? Do you remember it's name?'

"Power..."

Voices began to echo around him once again, several garbled up... but only one of them rang true.

"The Power of the King will condemn you to a life of solitude..." a girl's voice whispered in his ear, as if standing next to him. "Are you prepared for this?"

"I...I..."

"Do you accept the Contract I give you...?" The figure asked again.

"...I..." The more L listened, the more he becomes sure of his answer.

"...Are you willing to have your life torn asunder in exchange for this power...?"

"...If it means I can help my saviors...THEN YES!" L cried out in response.

"...Very well...Do you remember this power's name...?"

Even though he didn't know how, he felt a strong sense of familiarity within the force welling up inside of him. As if it lied dormant, and now awakening. Yes...This power...Its...

"...Geass..."

Time resumed, and the world spun. L felt his body return, and before he realized it, his instincts took over. "Hey, the hell do you think you're doing?!" the leader shouted when he saw L start to move, his eyes glaring into his. Almost immediately, he took a step back. "W-what the hell is up with your eyes, you freak?!"

"I command you..." The wings of the sigils flapped as L spoke, slowly tearing themselves away from his eyes. "LET THAT WOMAN GO!" The bird took flight, emerging from his irises, and diving straight into the leader of the Brigands. Before he realized it, it dived straight into him. L felt as if his body was being thrown away, being sent down a tunnel with streams of light twisting and circiling all around like circuits. Eventually, the tunnel came to an end, revealing what looked like a pattern. Images became clearer to him, and the pattern shifted, almost like a jigsaw puzzle.

The Command was in place.

The leader's body went slack, a red hue forming around his eyes, and his axe dropping from his hand. The arm holding the woman fell, allowing her to breathe and escape, running towards the Shepherds. It was a few seconds before the command faded, and the leader blinked. "Bwuh?" he squaked, realizing that he dropped his weapon and let a valuable hostage go. "What the shit?!"

He was about to chase after the woman...

"DIE!"

...but his life came to an end with a quick strike of the blade. Chrom gave a 'hmph' as he sheathed his blade, the leader falling to the ground in a lifeless heap a moment afertwards. "Well..." he said in relief as he turned to his Shepherds and L. "That's the end of that."

"Oh, thank you...!" the woman sobbed, bowing before her saviors. "Thank you so much, milord!"

"Heh, no problem!" Lissa cheered, grinning from ear to ear. "Guess he listened to reason after all!"

'No, not quite...' Frederick thought, having noticed the man's behavior when L gave the order. 'A spell? No, he didn't possess a tome on hand. Only the most skilled can perform an enchantment without the aide of a tone, but no matter how skilled, they require a runic sigil. So then, how is it...' he looked over at L, who was looking down at his hands, his breathing slightly eratic, and his shoulders falling up and down at a quick rate. 'That he was able to perform a spell so quickly? For a moment, I though the Mark of the Exalt shifted... Just who are you, L?'

'...What...Did I just do...?' L mentally questioned. He then recalled what he called his power before. 'Geass...The Power of the Kings...?'

"L..." Chrom placed a hand on his shoulder, snapping the man out of his thoughts. "Thank you...We are truly grateful for your assistance."

"H-huh?" L was surprised. In truth, all he had done was order Chrom and his friends around, though in his opinions, the plans were mediocre at best, but they were rather affective. Even still, he felt as if he should be the one to thank Chrom. After all, who knows what would have happened had Chrom never have found him. "W-well, I..."

"I agree with brother!" Lissa nodded enthusiastically. "Sure you stink at sword fighting..." L deflated at that, nearly face-faulting. Oh, come on! Sure, he wasn't that good in a fight, but he wasn't THAT bad! "But those strategies, whoo boy! Those were AWESOME!"

"I agree." Frederick nodded, despite his suspicions. "Have your memories returned, by chance?"

L shook his head, unsure. "I... don't know." he confessed. "I think I remember something... a power... Geass, I think..."

"...Geass...?" Chrom's eyes widened.

"You...know of this...?"

"I've only heard of it... but, to be honest, I didn't think it existed." Chrom nodded his head, crossing his arms. "To be honest, I don't know much. My sister, Emmeryn, however, might."

"Well, perhaps we should meet with her." Frederick suggested. "If Her Highness knows anything about this Geass, then perhaps she might even have an idea as to who L is."

'Her Highness...?' L thought, curious to know who Chrom's sister was if Frederick addressed her in such a manner.

"You think?" Lissa tilted her head, crossing her arms over her chest. Chrom, in response, shrugged his shoulders. "Well, might as well."

Just as the group was about to disembark, a few of the villagers came running up to them. "P-please, wait!" a male villager said, panting. "Milords, please! Allow us to repay you! We may not have much, but we have food and shelter!"

Frederick shook his head, smiling slightly at their gracious offer. "Thank you, however, we must be off."

"No dark meat." Lissa started to say, having not heard Frederick's words. "And no meat in the soup please, I don't really-WAIT, WHAT?!" she cried, finally registering what he just said. "B-but, Frederick! It's nearly dark out!"

"We'll be able to reach the capital tomorrow morning." Chrom told her, smiling a bit as if to reassure her. "Besides, we can do what we always do while outside, feed off of mother nature and sleep under the stars."

"B-but..." Lissa deflated, disappointed by the prospect of not being able to spend a night in a cozy hotel and eating good food. However, L had other thoughts on his mind, mostly about himself and the woman from earlier. Looking back at the alley, he found that she was gone, not a trace of her left.

'Who was she?' he wondered. 'Why did she call me Demon Emperor? ...And why do I have this power?' He looked down at his hand, and stared at it for a long while. 'Just who in the world am I?'

In the end, however, L had not realized the significance of obtaining this power, that which commands even the Gods themselves. In this world filled with strife, there is only the days of when one takes the mantle of a leader that he may bring an end to the suffering of the people. This is the burden of those who are either born with the power known as Geass, or are blessed by Naga's Mark, the Brand of the Exalt.

The time was close at hand... the Awakening would soon begin.

And darkness would fall upon this world once more...

_Episode 1: Rebirth and Reawakening_

**Name: L  
Date of Birth: Unknown  
Weapon Forte: Sword Rank B, Spear Rank C  
Class: Emperor {unique to L. One who changed the world and created it anew. Boasts high Intelligence, but lacks strength and defense.}  
Description: An amnesiac youth bearing the Brand of the Exalt in his eyes. Despite his weak and frail body, his intelligence has well-earned him a place in the Shepherds. Some speculate he is either a noble or a king, based on his values. The most physically weak of the group.  
Promotion Class: Zero {unique to L. One who carries the weight of the world, and performs miracles. Unmatched intelligence, and moderate strength.}**


	2. Chapter 2: Prelude to the Storm

**Yo guys, here's the next chapter of this awesome, brilliant story, co-written by my best man, Code-Emperor07! If you don't know him, shame on you bastards! He's the brilliant son of a bitch who wrote Fractured Existence! Anyway, I warn you now, what you are about to read was done over Private Messaging, so it's quality might be poor, but you may like it. I hope you will enjoy it to it's fullest content! The poll is still going on, so make your votes quick. Personally, I'm a Lucina fan myself, but I really do like Emmeryn, plus she's quite a lot like Nunnally and Euphemia, so... **

**Well, without further ado... Welcome to Fire Emblem: The Miraculous Birthday!**

_"Anything can be changed!" -Chrom, Exalt of Ylisse  
_

**_Fire Emblem: The Miraculous Birthday_**

L had to admit, the walk towards the captial, Ylisstol he learned it was called, he learned quite a bit, though sadly, none of his memories returned. Chrom had expected as much, though he brought up the possibility that L may have come from a foreign land.

From what he understood, there were several countries: Ylisse, where peace was commonly found thanks to the Exalt, or the ruler. It was a rather modest nation, but it's Exalt was kind and just, though L was more shocked to learn that Emmeryn was Chrom's older sister. When he learned this, he couldn't help but feel as if he had just insulted Chrom, but the man simply laughed and waved it off, saying he didn't care much for formalities. Emmeryn, from what he learned from Lissa and chrom's accounts, was a very kind and gentle woman, almost like a mother. It was thanks to her that Ylisse, which had been in tatters years ago, had been revitalized.

Other than Ylisse, there was also the country of Plegia, which was currently in a state of dictatorship. It's ruler was a madman by the name of Gangrel, otherwise known as the Mad King. Plegia had been engaged in war with Ylisse years ago, back when Chrom's father was the Exalt, and from what L understood, it had been a bloody war, far more than what chrom seemed to let on. L grew to hate the former Exalt almost immediately when he heard he made ordinary people enlist in the military. It was understandable that Gangrel had not let go of his hatred towards Ylisse, but L still felt there had to have been another way to resolve the issue. As it turned out, the bandits they fought earlier in the day were from Plegia, likely trying to start another skirmish that could instigate a war.

Other than Ylisse and Plegia, there was also the nations of Chon'sin and Valm. L didn't know much about Chon'sin, as did Chrom for that matter, but he heard quite a bit from travellers he met during his travels. It used to be a very peaceful nation, it's warriors fierce and proud, and very well known for raising Swordmasters, expert blade wielders of un-surpassed skill. However, the nation had been conquered by Valm, which was probably also another dictatorship, led by an ambitious behemoth known as Walhart. L instantly grew to fear the man, hearing of how he effortlessly crushed his opponents as if they were flies, no one unable to so much as land a blow on the monster. It made the amnesiac wonder if this conqueror was even human.

In Ylisse, whenever crisis' or skirmishes or any sort of trouble that appeared was usually dealt with by Chrom and his group, known as the Shepherds. Beside Frederick and Lissa, there was also two chevaliers by the name of Stahl and Sully. Stahl sounded like the easy-going kind of guy, but was serious when the situation demanded it. Sully, on the other hand, was a fierce tomboy, quick to anger, and quick to strike. L wasn't willing to anger this woman, if he ever met her. There was also another healer, a horse-rider like Frederick, Stahl, and Sully by the name of Marribel. She was a high-class woman from a noble family, and was very good friends with Lissa. Besides her, there was an axe wielder named Vaike, who Lissa described as a muscle-bound idiot who would be lost without his axe, and a mage named Miriel, who was obsessed with discovering all the world's secrets. Finally, there was Sumia, a sort of clumsy, yet kind and caring kind of girl that tried her best (and according to Lissa, she had a Valm-sized crush on the prince himself.) Chrom mentioned that there was someone else among the Shepherds as well, a knight, but for the life of him, couldn't remember his name.

It had been shortly after they left the town that Chrom had asked L if he wanted to join the Shepherds, as their tactician. At first, L was shocked and couldn't find the words to respond. He knew that he was weak, he could barely hold a sword properly, and could barely keep up with everyone else. Hell, even Lissa could outrun him, despite wearing a dress. He wandered if he could really be of any use, but after some well-placed encouragement from Frederick, who had, more or less, come to see him as an ally, and Lissa, who already view him as a good friend, much like her brother, he couldn't help but smile as he agreed.

Shame he didn't expect Chrom to give him a bear hug. L still swears he literally FELT a rib or two cracking. And here he thought Frederick's strength was insane.

"Ugh..." Lissa groaned for the umpteenth time, her feet dragging along the ground. "Are we there yet...? It's already dark out, there's bugs, and-" She stopped when, as she was talking, a small black ball buzzed around her and dived straight into her mouth. Almost immediately, Lissa began to hack and cough violently, clutching at her throat and pounding at her throat. This continued for a few minutes before Lissa gasped out, "A-a bug! I SWALLOWED A BUG! EW! EW! AND EW!"

"Well, maybe you should've kept your mouth closed to prevent that from happening." Frederick joked.

"Quiet you!" She mildly glared at the man.

"Lissa, does have a point, though..." L pointed out, looking around. "It's getting dark. And, I don't know about you guys, but..." A low growl, akin to that of a wolf when threatening or being threatened, came from the raven-haired Shepherd's stomach. "I'm hungry."

Chrom couldn't help but laugh. "Well, I see your point." the prince said before turning to Frederick. "We'll set up camp here. Frederick?"

The brown-haired Great Knight nodded, and instantly made his way to the horse he rode on, which carried several items on it's saddle. "Chrom, about our earlier conversation..." L decided to return to the subject they were speaking about earlier before Lissa's remark.

"Oh, you mean about Classes?" he asked for confirmation. L nodded eagerly. "You see, there are items called Seals, which grant the users special abilities, each belonging to a class. The most common is the Villager class. They're rather weak, but if trained and honed, they are a force to be reckoned with. They can also promote to other classes, making them rather versatile. My class is Lord, we excel at many things, but magic is not one of them. Lissa here," he gestured to his younger sister. "is a Cleric. They can't fight, but they're good healers. They can promote to being a Sage, which are powerful magic users themselves, able to cast spells, or they can be War Clerics, and can fight both offensively and offer support. They're very brutal with an axe."

"And Frederick?" L asked curiously.

"Great Knight, a promotion from a Knight and Chevalier." Chrom answered. "Like Chevailers, they're swift thanks to their steads, but when it comes to magic, it's best to keep them away from spell slingers. Like Knights, they're very sturdy, able to withstand several blows from physical attacks. Frederick is quite adept in this regard."

"Huh..." L nodded in understand, filing away all of this information before a thought came to him. "So then... what class am I?"

"To be honest, I don't know." Chrom answered truthfully, shaking his head, much to L's disappointment. "You're intelligence to form strategies is uncanning... but you lack physical strength. If you could use magic, I'd say something along the lines of a Mage or a Sage, but..."

"So... I might not have a class?"

"No, you definitely have one." Chrom confirmed for him. "It's just one we've never seen. It may be a new one. We can have Miriel take a look when we have the time."

"I see. Thank you. That is very reassuring." L smiled at his friend's words.

"It's no problem." Chrom nodded in kind.

"My lord." Frederick chimed in. "Camp is set up." In the short time that the two men were talking, the Great Knight had already set up their temporary quarters.

"That was fast..." L muttered in surprise.

"I have to be." Frederick answered L. "To prevent any sort of mishap, I go on ahead and clear the path of anything that could prove to be hinderous, such as pebbles, twigs, leaves, anything that hinders our progress. Also, a knight must be swift in his orders, especially from the prince of the halidom."

'The part about obeying Chrom quickly, I get...' L sweat dropped. '...but what does clearing the road of small stuff have to do with anything?!'

Afterwards, the group immediately set themselves up and began to eat. Unfortunately, however, Lissa did not eat her portion, and for good reason. "Ah, that was good..." Chrom exhaled, setting his plate down and patting his belly. "I haven't had any good bear meat in a long while!"

"Indeed." Frederick nodded in agreement. "To be rather honest, I had not expected to see such foods in so short a time." He looked over at Lissa, and saw that she had yet to eat her share. "Oh? Are you not hungry, milady?" he asked curiously.

"It's not that." Lissa shook her head. "It's just... we're eating bear meat! BEAR! MEAT! Don't you know your messing up the food chain!"

"Milady, we cannot be picky with what we eat."

"Oh?" Lissa smirked, looking down at his plate, which was practically untouched. Lissa had taken small bites, but the taste was still slightly off to her. "And what about you?"

Frederick paled, having been caught red handed. It was common knowledge that Frederick could not eat any sort of gamey meat at all, regardless of what it came from. "A-ah, you see... I... had a large meal already!" he came up with his excuse quickly, smiling rather nervously. "Y-yes, quite!"

"I find that hard to believe..." Lissa rolled her eyes before looking over at L. "How about you, L? Don't you think so... too..."

She trailed off when she saw L hastily devouring the meat, not caring about manners. He had several blotches of sauce splattered against his face, and grease over his hand. "Sooooo gooood..." he moaned, tearing into another portion.

"Haha...I'd say L disagrees with you, Lissa." Chrom laughed.

"I can't believe he actually likes it." The girl deadpanned.

L looked up to see what they were talking about, but then shrugged and went back to devouring his meal. "The texture...the moistness...the savory taste..." One could actually see tears streaming down his face. "This is absolutely delicious!" He picked the piece he had clean before moving onto another one.

The three were actually stunned by how much meat he was able to put away. Already L had torn through pretty much half the bear.

"HOW CAN YOU EVEN LIKE THIS STUFF?!" Lissa practically screamed, her eyes wide in absolute shock. "THIS STINKS WORSE THAN OLD BOOTS! Wait, I take that back! Old boots is better than this stuff!"

Chrom couldn't help but laugh at their antics, while Frederick couldn't help but feel envious that L could enjoy gamey meat with such gusto. Perhaps he could learn a thing or two from their new tactician?

XXXXX

When sleep finally came to them, Chrom was one of the few that was actually awake, the other being Lissa. The prince was unable to find sleep, the thoughts of L's power, Geass, fresh in his mind. He was able to recall a bit about it, but not much detail. 'Geass...' he narrowed his eyes as he stretched his arm out, as if wanting to grasp the starry sky above him. 'A magical contract in which one forfeits their very being into eternal solitude and suffering in exchange for a great power... If the stories really are true, then had L made such a contract? It would explain how he was able to make that Plegian Brigand let the woman go and give us the opportunity needed to defeat him... but still, I can't help but feel anxious.'

Shaking his head with a heavy sigh, Chrom sat up. "Brother...?" Lissa's sleepy voice called out weakly from behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the girl rubbing her eyes as she stood up, her hair a complete mess. "Is something wrong...?"

"No, nothing is wrong." He lied. "I was just thinking about things."

"What do you mean?" She was curious as to what Chrom was thinking.

"It's just..." Chrom sighed, unable to form his thoughts into actual words. "I can't stop thinking about that Geass..."

"I remember a bit about that, from what Emm told us, anyway." Lissa shrugged her shoulders. "Something about a contract for great power?"

"Yes, it's something like that." Chrom nodded, surprised she could recall something like that. "However, in exchange for power, you're sentenced to a life of solitude and suffering... a painful, lonely death." He cringed when he saw Lissa shrink back a bit. He understood what, that sort of punishment was not deserved to be placed upon anyone... especially not someone like L. Even though he did not recall his past, he wanted to help people, that was much was clear. It was also obvious that he owed his saviors a great debt, and joining the Shepherds was the best way to repay them.

L did not deserve such a punishment, in exchange for a power of absolute obedience.

"I'm going out for a walk..." chrom decided, wanting to clear his mind. "Want to come with?"

Lissa nodded, and followed her brother into the woods.

They had no idea what was waiting for them, nor for what they were about to encounter.

XXXXX

L opened his eyes to find himself in the middle of what looked like the ruins of the aftermath of a battlefield. There were piles of rubble everywhere, graves made for the deceased with wooden headstones in the forms of crosses. A bit away from him, he could see a faceless man turned towards a bonfire of some kind, burning his comrades while performing a salute. The scene was both familiar to him, yet foreign. The air smelled differently than that of Ylisse, the scent of burning smoke and death lingering in the air, and despair evident in the faces of those that had survived what had occurred. The sky was tinged orange, and the sun setting, dipping into the ocean. "Is this..." he pondered aloud. "...a memory?"

"I swear..."

L turned behind him to see a child standing nearby, his black hair hiding his eyes. His small form trembled with rage, and his tiny hands were balled into fists. The amnesiac paled. 'Dear God... what kind of hell did this boy see?' he wondered in horror. The whole placed looked like a warzone for God's sake! He also took notice of a young boy of the same age with brown hair, and soft green eyes, his hands balled into fists.

L felt as if he had seen this child before.

"I swear, Suzaku, so help me..." L's eyes widened, turning back to the child. His head was lifted, revealing deep amethyst eyes, briddling with rage as he looked at the boy. Did he just call him Suzaku?! "I will one day... obliterate Britannia!"

XXX

L's eyes snapped open immediately, facing a black sky with shining dots. His breath was ragged, and sweat rolling down his face.

He sat up from where he lay. A hand running through his face. his body was soaked in cold sweat, his hands clammy. He also experienced a dull throb between his temples that was slight, but noticeable.

"Just...what was that...? Britannia..." When L muttered the word, he did not know why, but he felt a spark of unbridled rage and resentment, as if it were something he hated to the very core.

Just then, another thought popped into his mind. "Suzaku..." This time, he couldn't help but feel a strong sense of remorse. He didn't even notice the single tear that rolled down his cheek.

However, his thoughts were soon trained on the raven haired boy. When he closed in for a better look, he couldn't help but think:

'...that boy...he looked like me..."

Could that have been his past? Was that how he used to be, back before he had lost his memories?

His thoughts were wild and eratic, but as he tried to calm down, he couldn't help but recall the name Suzaku, one of the few names he remembered, save for his own. At the very least, that memory, or dream, gave him some insight as to how he used to be. Still... what was Britannia? It didn't spark any sort of recognition in his mind, all except for the anger that built up by the mere thought of it.

He sighed, rubbing his temples as he tried to disperse the dark thoughts that were coming before he noticed something. "Huh?" He frowned, looking over by the two empty make-shift beds that lacked their hosts. "Where's Chrom and Lissa?"

XXX

In the forest, Chrom and Lissa stopped for a while, not wanting to venture too far away from the camp site. Of course, there was also the reason that, due to the darkness of the forest and the constant sounds of birds chirping and owls hooting that made Lissa cling to her older brother like a lifeline, albeit too hard for his tastes.

There was also the fact that Chrom felt something... unnatural. It was like a nagging feeling in the back of his head, like there was something that was about to happen, but what, he had no idea. Whatever was about to happen, he knew he wasn't going to like it.

"H-hey, Chrom...?" Lissa shakily told her brother, clinging to the cape that hung from his pauldron. "L-let's go back..."

"Yeah..." Chrom nodded, wanting to evade the foreboding feeling he received.

Unfortunately, however... the catastrophe he feared had caught up to him.

The ground shook, the skies became tinged with red, and the sea of forests set ablaze. Smoke piled into the air, flames equal to an inferno raging all around, consuming anything caught within their fiery grasp.

The two ran through the burning foliage. Driven by the adrenaline brought forth by this terrifying incident.

"Lissa, this way!" Chrom made a turn, the girl followed suit. Just then, the ground split beneath them, the ledge they once stood upon rising from the level ground. They jumped from the ledge and continued their retreat.

In the heavens above, giant balls of flame streaked past, as it they were shooting stars. On in this case, a meteor shower.

Chrom and Lissa stopped once they were far enough away from the flames, trying to catch their breath.

Lissa panted before looking up, shocked at what she saw. "Chrom, what is that?!" SHe pointed behind him. The azure haired man turned. In midair, particles of light gathered before imploding, constructing a massive rune with a circle made of crystal opening up like an eye in the center.

To the two's shock and astoundment, several beings slowly emerged from the center of the circle, lifeless heaps as they hit the ground. At first, Chrom wondered if they were dead. However, a few seconds later, he was proven wrong as the figures slowly stood up, each wearing different forms of armor. One looked like a Warrior, wearing a flaud over a pair of baggy slacks, gloves, and a large axe in hand. However, what horrified him were their faces.

There was no flesh... only steel and rotting metal, glowing red eyes like ember, and jagged teeth without lips. Purple smoke seemed to flow out of their mouths, their bodies jerking. "What in blazes...?" Chrom breathed before he found himself raising his blade, one of the monstrous forms charging at him with inhuman speed and slamming his axe down on him. "Chrom!" Lissa shouted in worry as she watched her brother being overpowered. Growling, the prince pushed more force into his arms, and repelled the attack. Taking initiative, he quickly dashed forward, and let his blade rip across its body, tearing skin and muscles off of it's ribs.

However, the monstrous being just kept moving, as it it were a puppet on strings.

"Impossible..." Chrom paused in horror. But Reacted in time to the monster's swing. He blocked the axe blade and parried it, tossing the beast away. He jumped up and pinned it to the earth with his Falchion through its body. The humanoid gave one last grunt of pain before dissolving into dark miasma.

"C-Chrom!"

The prince turned, and his eyes widened in horror when he saw another one of the monstrous beings steadily walking toward Lissa. Her body was shaking, her staff clutched to her chest, and tears running down large eyes. "Lissa!" he cried, running towards her, only to be blocked by yet another being. "Dammit!" he cursed before knocking it back and charging at it, eyes lit with fury. "Get out of my way!"

"S-someone..." Lissa whimpered as the being raised it's axe, ready to slam it down upon her and bring an end to her life. "Anyone..." Time began to slow down as the being brought down it's axe. Lissa shut her eyes, and cried at the very top of her lungs, "HEEEELP!"

Her prayers were answered.

Before the blade reached her, the arm holding the axe was severed. The monster screamed an unearthly cry as it stumbled back, clutching it's missing limb. Lissa's snapped open, relief overcoming her as she fell to her knees, and looked at her savior. She couldn't see them clearly because of the tattered brown cloak and hood, but she could make out a pristine white suit with gold tailings. In their hand was a simple blade with an O-shaped hilt. Unlike regular blades, it beared a curved edge. 'A... Killing Edge...?' she thought in amazement. A Killing Edge was a powerful blade that was often used by swordsmen. The likelihood of landing a critical wound with such a blade was high, but it was likely to last for a short while. In all honesty, however, she knew how hard the weapons themselves were to wield, thus it was suprising to see someone use it.

However, her relief was short lived as the monstrous being stood back up, glaring at the cloaked stranger, and ran at him. Unfortunately, it would meet it's end, all at the hands of two identical blades. One was wielded by Chrom, and the other, a masked stranger, hair the same as Chrom's, but cut short with a dark cape flapping behind him, bearing an outfit meant for a lord.

The being didn't have to time to grunt in pain, like it's comrade, before it fell to the ground, dissolving into dark smoke that vanished only seconds later.

"Thank you..." Chrom said as he looked at the two, neither of the mysterious swordsmen saying anything. "But... who are you guys?"

The two new comers merely turned slightly to face them, their mouths silent.

The thundering sound of hoofs beating against the earth resounded. "Milord! Milady! Are you hurt?" Frederick asked in concern. L was also on Frederick's horse before he climbed down.

"Frederick! L!" Lissa sighed in relief. The raven haired man took sight upon the monstrous beings.

"Are such horrific creatures commonplace in these lands?" He asked.

"They are not from Ylisse I promise you." Chrom answered.

The beings growled and readied themselves, yet they made no move. "L, you already know the drill." Chrom said, looking at his tactician. "Read their movements, then give us the best course of action!" The amnesiac nodded. Frederick and Lissa prepared themselves as well, already having learned what their roles were. The Great Knight placed himself next to Chrom, readying his lance while Lissa stuck with L as he brandished his blade.

The two figures had already disappeared, taking their fight elsewhere. However, the cloaked swordsman looked at L for a brief moment, as if recognizing him before turning his attention back to the fight at hand.

'Several soldiers...' L noted, looking around the battlefield. 'Three Warriors, two Archers, one Mage...' His eyes fell on the one at the rear. His eyes widened when he saw it. "What in the hell is that?" he gasped. Unlike the other monstrous beings, the creature brandished only a hellish-looking axe, it's body pale and rotting, it's face like all the others, and dead, withering hair flowing out from it's scalp. 'Judging from it's position... it appears to the leader.'

"Chrom, you take the two Warriors on the left. Frederick, take care of the Archers, watch out for the mage." L instructed. The Great Knight gave a 'hmph' of acknowledgement of the plan, and Chrom said nothing, for his eyes spoke all that was needed.

The moment the Knight and his Lord dashed in, the battle had begun.

"Lissa! You stay behind and provide support." The blonde girl nodded.

Chrom dealt with his enemies swiftly. He parried an overhead slash before using his momentum to spin and stab the creature through the chest. He then kept pace and delivered a devastating blow to the remaining warrior, who didn't even have a chance to react.

The creature fell backwards, dispersing into miasma the moment it hit the ground. The other Warriors growled and immediately went to him, while Chrom smirked in confidence of his abilities. Compared to the training he went through with everyone in the Shepherds, this was just too easy. "Come on!" he taunted, waiting for the oncoming battle.

Frederick was having a bit of luck himself, evading whatever arrows came across his path and zig-zagged across the battlefield, using his lance to deflect any attacks the inhuman mage threw at him. 'The power behind their assault is far beyond what ordinary humans are capable of...' he noted, gritting his teeth as he felt the intense heat of the spells blast up against him. "There!" the Great knight smirked in victory as he impaled the first archer through the chest. It dispersed into miasma a second later. "Hmph, next!"

The archer did not show any emotion, and readied himself for the next strike. However, to Frederick's surprise, a stray arrow came flying, impaling into it's arm. The monstrous being cried out in pain, dropping the bow before it quickly rolled out of the way, avoiding having it's head cut off from another horse rider. "Drat!" the rider cursed. "I missed it!"

The rider in question was a woman with a fierce scowl, her body well-toned and muscled. Similar to Frederick, she wore armor, but it was slightly thinner, and colored crimson. In her hand was a sword, in contrast to Frederick wielding a lance. Her hair was pale red, unlike her eyes, which were burning crimson.

"Sully!" Frederick cried in surprise. "What in blazes are you doing here?!"

"Her Majesty was getting worried, so she sent me to look for you!" the fierce woman smirked before looking at the inhuman beings that littered the battlefield. "Anyway, the hell are these stiffs? They smell like they've been left out to rot in the sun for months on end!"

"That's what we'd like to know as well." The Great Knight answered.

"I see...well, we'll talk afterwards." Sully then faced the monsters. "Alright you ash-faced freaks! Who wants a taste of my lance first?"

Just then, another individual jumped in. He was a young man with charming features, his attires was white clothing fitting of an archer. His hair was long and turquoise. A bow was present in his hands.

"P-please, hold a moment, Miss Sully!" the young man said, sweat rolling down his face, his breaths haggard. "Haa... Haa... This is why Archers do not make the best runners, I'm afraid..."

"Oh, man up Ruffles!" Sully snapped at him as her stead leaped back from a strike from the remaining Warrior, only to find a blade jammed into it's shoulder, causing it to scream in pain. "Just shut up and shoot!"

The young man sighed, shaking his head. "My name is not Ruffles, milady, it is Virion. Please, do try to get it right. Although..." A cocky grin came to his face as he quickly took aim and let his bow fly, jammed deep inside the inhuman archer's skull, causing it to drop dead and disperse into miasma. "I can't very well refuse a request from a lady."

L sweat dropped. "Uh... are we sure we can trust him?" he muttered before shaking his head. 'Focus, L... We've got two more players in the game now. All that's left is the mage, the warrior, and the leader. Speaking of which...' he frowned, the creature having not moved from it's spot. 'Why hasn't he moved? Is he waiting until one of us get's close?'

"Twoagh!" Chrom shouted a battle-cry, twirling his body as his blade severed the second warrior from his waist, causing his upper body to go flying and disperse. "Two down, two to go!"

"Nice work, Captain..." Sully grinned, seeing her leader in fine form as always before noticing L's presence. "Eh? Who's the new blood?"

"Our tactician, L." Frederick answered her quickly, watching the inhuman mage prepare another spell. "I shall explain later. For now, let us deal with them first!"

"Heh, alright, fine with me!" the Chevalier chuckled, readying herself for another strike before calling out over her shoulder. "Oi, genius! Use me wisely, right? Otherwise, you're gonna find this sword rammed right up your arse!"

"Y-yes ma'am!" The raven haired man saluted. For some reason, he couldn't help but have the image of a fiery red head appear at the deep recesses of his mind. However he shrugged it off and focused on the battle.

"Sully! While Frederick and Chrom keeps the frontline occupied, advance to the one in the back. Virion, use your archery skills to take out the mage in the back before it can cast spells. But be wary of it!"

"Why is that?"

"Look carefully...It hasn't moved at all right now. So remain cautious of what it does next!"

"Understood, my lord!" Virion grinned. "Superb strategy!"

Chrom and Frederick, as planned, ganged up on the wounded warrior. It tried to block against Chrom's fierce assault, and rolled out of the way whenever Frederick came barreling in for the attack, but it's body was haggard and sluggish due to the wound it suffered from Sully. The red-haired rider smirked as she charged in, the inhuman monster still not moving, simply watching as if waiting for an opportunity to rise. "Here!" she cried as she swung her blade, intent on lopping off it's head.

However...

"W-what the hell?!" Sully exclaimed as the monster LEAPED over her, it's body soaring in the air before it slammed back down to the ground, the earth shuddering and cracking beneath the pressure. "Kill..." the beast groaned, it's voice warped and raspy as it creaked it's neck, slowly turning to the stunned woman. "K-kill... Al..l..."

"The hell is up with you?" she muttered before scowling. "Whatever! I ain't missing this time!" Sully declared, charging straight back in for round two.

Virion launched arrow after arrow at the mage, but it seemed to be quite athletic itself. It evaded each arrow, if only barely, leaping back and forth before it opened up it's book of spells. Runes danced, and fire began to flicker at the base of it's hand. Virion smirked and took aim, letting the straight blade at the tip of the rod fly. It hit it's mark, dead center, straight in the shoulder. "Bulls-eye.." he smirked before paling. "W-what?"

The spell continued, and the flames shot forth. Virion cried out in pain as he was thrown back from the blast, flames eating away at him. "Damn!" L cursed, turning to Lissa. "Lissa, go heal Virion!" he ordered, the blonde nodding and running straight for the archer. The mage saw her, and began it's workings once again. "Frederick!" the tactician shouted. "Take it out now!"

Chrom knocked the inhuman warrior back, allowing Frederick to come charging in, straight at it. The creature fired off another spell, but it had underestimated the Great Knight considerably, as he plowed straight through the flames of the spell, skin burned slightly, and teeth gritted. "Perish!" he shouted, thrusting his lance forward. The inhuman mage didn't scream in pain as it's head was ripped away from it's body, the skull lodged at the lance's tip before dispersing into smoke.

"That's almost the last of them..." Everyone turned their sights upon the axe-wielder. "Now one left."

"But remember everyone..." L warned. "...we don;t know what it's capable of yet. However, given its large size, it would be safe to assume that it's physical strength is drastically greater than the others."

"Agreed..." Frederick nodded his head before looking over at Lissa. "How is Sir Virion?"

The archer in question lifted his head up, his handsome mug scarred slightly with scorch marks before giving a pained grin. "W-worry not..." he said before wincing in pain. "Takes a lot more to harm this magnificent archer..."

"Try not to move." Lissa scolded him, light swirling around the tip of her staff before slowly descending down to where Virion was seriously wounded at. "It will make your wounds more agitated."

"Can't refuse the words of a lovely lady, can't I?" Virion joked before nodding. "V-very well..."

L smiled before turning his attention back at the enemy. "Sully, Frederick!" he shouted at the two. "Hit it with everything you've got! Chrom, provide support!"

"Right!" The Great Knight and Chevalier charged on their horses, the lances at ready. Chrom quickly followed.

However, just as the bladed ends were about to make contact, the axe-wielder brought up the flat of his axe to block them.

"Now I'm angry!" Chrom leaped into the air, his blade raised over his head. "There!"

However, to the shock of everyone, the creature lifted it's head up, and clamped its teeth down on Frachion. "W-what the hell?!" Sully shouted, her eyes bugging out of her head as she watched the creature thrash it's head around, swinging Chrom like a rag doll before it finally let go of the blade, tossing him halfway across the field. It then repelled Frederick and Sully's blade, and swung it's axe down on the ground. The force behind the attack was enough to break the ground apart, and enough to send their horses flying, the riders sent flying off the saddles and into the air.

"No way..." Lissa gasped while Virion looked at the sight with large eyes. "What a monster... such a thing truly cannot be human!"

'What kind of monster is this...?' he wondered before he recalled what he did with the Brigand. 'What if I use my Geass?!'

"Hey!" L shouted, earning the creature's attention. L's eyes burrowed into it's glowing dots, and allowed the power to flow freely. "I command you... cease this struggle at once!"

The sigil dived out of L's irises, and went flying at the creature.

However...

The Monster made no movement of adhering to the absolute command. Instead, it merely grew enraged and changed its sights to a new target: L.

It charged passed the mounted warriors and made a beeline for the tactician, who clumsily tried to unsheathe his sword for defense.

"L!" Everyone cried. Chrom tried to save his friend, but he was too far away.

'I'm not going to make it!'

The creature leaped into the air, gripping it's axe and raised it high with the intent on crushing him completely. L shut his eyes tightly, not wanting to see the end, and shielded himself with his arms.

However, what he heard was not his death, but rather, the sound of blades clashing. His eyes snapped open again, and saw the cloaked figure from earlier in front of him, his katana raised and facing against the creature. It's breath was heavy, smoke blowing from the corners of its mouth, but the swordsman was deathly quiet, as if solely focused on the enemy. "K-kill... Y-you...!" the creature bellowed as it leaped back, ending their brief skirmish and beginning the duel once again.

The cloaked swordsman made the first move, dashing forward at an incredible speed, the blade at their side and drawn in almost a quick second, a silver gleam slashing straight at it. It raised the axe just in time to block it, but it clumsily stumbled back, barely able to block the other consecutive strikes.

"Incredible..." Chrom breathed in amazement.

Frederick nodded in agreement, getting back on his feet while watching the battle. "The Myormadin are skilled warriors with the blade, as are the Swordmasters... but this is on a whole other level entirely."

The creature howled in rage as it slammed the axe into the katana, sending the stranger back. However, he twirled his body around and touched the ground with a swift sharp stomp of the feet, and propelled himself back into the air. This stunned the creature, not expecting him to be so quick and agile, and raised the axe to try and kill him.

However, the swordsman further stunned them when he twirled his body backwards, his leg outstretched. It smashed the axe completely, shards flying into the air, and the heel crashing into the creature's jaw. The force of the kick was powerful enough to literally twist the head, a snapping 'crack' heard harshly as it was tossed back, tumbling backwards before stopping. It's neck was bent at an odd angle, and a dark bone sticking out. It's body vanished into smoke shortly afterwards.

Everyone was stunned. To be able to perform such a powerful kick, and with such relative ease... it was clear that whoever this man was, he was by far the strongest warrior they had ever seen. The cloaked figure then turned to L, who was still on the ground, supporting himself with his elbows, and looked at the man in absolute awe. He bent down, and offered a hand as he sheathed his blade. "...Are you unhurt?"

"I-I am fine..." L grasped the hand and the figure pulled him up. "Thank you."

If one looked closely, one would see the solemn smile underneath the hood. "It' is no problem. My companion and I just wanted to help out."

L felt something click in his head. He was barely able to see past the hood, and saw familiar green eyes, the color of emeralds. 'Those eyes...' he wondered, feeling as if he had seen them before. 'Where have I seen them before...?'

"Lance."

The group turned to see the masked figure from earlier walking up to them. At this point, both Frederick and Sully had tended to themselves and their horses. Thankfully, none of them were wounded.

"You took you're time, Marth-san." the one being addressed, Lance, said as the figure approached. "They're all dealt with?"

"Yes." the one known as Marth nodded his head. "I didn't expect them to appear here."

"U-um..." Marth turned to see Lissa looking at him, her hands clutched together nervously at her chest. "T-thank you... for saving me."

"Yes, we owe you a great debt." Chrom nodded his head, sheathing Falchion. "For both saving my sister, and a dear friend of mine." L's eyes widened when he heard Chrom address him as such. Had the prince seen him that way already? "My name is Chrom. And you two are...?"

"...You may call me Marth." the masked warrior answered stoicly before nodding his head towards Lance. "He is Lance, my ally."

"Marth?" Chrom furrowed his brow curiously. "You mean, after the Hero-King of old? Well, you certainly do fight like a hero."

"Psst, Frederick..." L whispered to the Great Knight. "Who's this Marth character?"

"Lord Marth is the prince of Altea, son of King Cornelius and his wife Liza, indirect descendant of the hero Anri, and inheritor of both the divine blade Falchion and the task of using it to strike down Medeus, the Shadow Dragon. Driven from his kingdom by the Dolhr Empire at the onset of the War of Shadows, he took refuge in Talys for two years before departing to amass an army to resist and strike down the empire's grip on Archanea. Years later, he led Altea in the War of Heroes against his corrupted former friend and ally, Emperor Hardin of Archanea. He developed a reputation as a legendary hero, destined to lead all of Archanea to salvation, as represented by his use of the legendary Fire Emblem. In time the continent of Archanea came to be united under his rule, and he became renowned throughout history as the legendary "Hero-King" of the United Kingdom of Archanea." Frederick explained to him.

"Amazing..." L's eyes widened in awe. "...But is this really the same Marth?"

"No." Marth shook his head. "The time of the Hero-King has long since passed... this name is merely just that, a name."

Chrom shook his head, smiling as looked at the masked warrior. "Either way, you saved us... Thanks, Marth. Lance."

"We did not come to give you thanks." Marth stated coldly as he turned sharply on his foot. "What happened tonight was but a prelude of what is to come. You've seen the signs, haven't you? This world is teetering on the brink of a calamity... You had best prepare yourself, Prince of Ylisse."

Chrom's eyes widened in surprise. He had not given out his name to the stranger, but watched as he left, leaving the group confused. However, Lance stayed behind from his partner in crime, and looked at L. "Um..." the tactician shifted his feet, staring at the ground uncomfortably. "Is there... something wrong?"

"...You're not like him..." he muttered, as if shocked. L's eyes widened slightly, while Chrom's held hope. "Do you know him?!" he asked excitedly, perhaps having found a lead so early. Unfortunately, Lance shook his head. "No... But I know of one who has that power." He looked at L. "If I were you, I would not rely on Geass too much... That power will take away everything from you."

"Huh?" L frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"...It's nothing important." Lance shook his head before following after Marth. "Until we meet again."

With that, the two strangers were gone. Their message was clear: what happened tonight was indeed a prelude, one that showed signs of change... a change that they could not forsee.

XXXXX

After deciding to take yet another rest, not surprising considering all the events that had transpired last night, the Shepherds resumed their trek back to the city. Just as Chrom had stated, it would only take a day. During the trip, L learned a bit more about the Shepherds, especially their newest addition, the archer named Virion. The man seemed friendly enough, but he never told anything about his past. He had been taught how to use a bow since from when he could actually pick the weapon up. However, if there was one fault in the man... it was that he couldn't stop trying to flirt with Sully, and fail miserably. "You do realize, Virion..." L deadpanned after watching Virion walk back from yet another failed attempt to win the fierce Chevialer's heart. "That she will try to kill you if you keep this up. She seems like the type to get angry really quick."

"Ah, but there in lies the beauty of it, Sir L!" Virion grinned proudly. "The harder the challenge... the greater the reward!"

"'Sir' L?"

"Well, you are a noble, aren't you?" the archer asked curiously. "After all, you wear such lavish clothes, and you're strategies are incredible, truly! Speaking of tactics, would you care for a chess match, later on?"

L's eyes sparkled, and something clicked in his head. "Chess?"

Before he could give an answer, Lissa gave an excited squeal. "YES! Finally, we're back home!" she cheered, throwing her arms in the air. This snapped L out of his musings, and saw that they were already inside Ylisstol. He could only stare in absolute amazement, seeing people of different ages, several in great abundance like a sea of humans, washing over them.

"Unbelievable..." L breathed. "There's so many people!"

"Well, it is the capitol of the halidom." Frederick said, smiling in relief. "At the very least, what occurred last night did not reach here."

Just then, an old man gave out a warm shout. "Look! The Exalt's come to grace us!"

L's eyes widened when he saw the people in the street making way for several guards, all armed to the teeth. However, he soon understood why when he saw her. A deep blush came to his face when his eyes came across her form. Her entire body was covered by a flowing green cloak, long blonde hair flowing down past her shoulders with some kind of half-ring behind her, a slim white robe beneath the cloak. Upon her forehead was the familiar mark that was branded on Chrom's shoulder.

"So... that's the Exalt?" L asked, almost out of breath. Virion laughed aloud, harshly slapping L's back. "You have set your sights quite high, Sir L!"

"Yes, indeed." Chrom nodded his head. "That's our sister, Emmeryn. It's not odd to see her walking out in the streets. If it wasn't for her, peace wouldn't have been made possible."

"Yep." Lissa nodded in agreement, smiling. "And she's the coolest big sister ever! ...Shame she isn't married yet.

"E-eh?" L blinked. "She's not? With looks like that, I'd thought she'd already be..." he trailed off, silence settling over him before he crossed his arms and nodded. "Oh... Now I get it."

Sully smirked. "Aha, sounds like he's learned how overprotective the Captain is of his sister."

Chrom's face was absolutely priceless. "I am NOT overprotective!"

_Episode 2: Prelude to the Storm  
_

**Name: Lance(?)  
Date of Birth: Unknown  
Weapon Forte: Sword Rank A  
Class: Knight of the Round {unique to Lance(?). An elite warrior chosen by his Majesty. Bears incredible strength and agility.}  
Description: A mysterious swordsman that appeared alongside Marth. He appears to know someone who also had Geass, bearing the exact same power as L. Who is he, truly?  
Promotion Class: ?**


	3. Chapter 3: Fragments of the Past

**Yo guys, here's the next chapter of this awesome, brilliant story, co-written by my best man, Code-Emperor07! If you don't know him, shame on you bastards! He's the brilliant son of a bitch who wrote Fractured Existence! Anyway, I warn you now, what you are about to read was done over Private Messaging, so it's quality might be poor, but you may like it. I hope you will enjoy it to it's fullest content! The poll is still going on, so make your votes quick. Personally, I'm a Lucina fan myself, but I really do like Emmeryn, plus she's quite a lot like Nunnally and Euphemia, so... **

**Well, without further ado... Welcome to Fire Emblem: The Miraculous Birthday!**

_"Even messiahs must perform their own miracles." -Zero  
_

**_Fire Emblem: The Miraculous Birthday_**

The Palace was absolutely breath-taking, the interior a mix of both white and gold. Pillars supported the roof, which was unbelievably high up, and a large staircase leading up from the throne room and from the entrance. Emmeryn was standing at the front, awaiting Chrom and the others, accompanied by a woman with silver-white hair and red eyes, adorned in gold armor.

"It certainly has been a while since they've left." Emmeryn mused.

"My lady, it has only been a few weeks."

"True, however..." Emmeryn's face became that of worry, recalling the events that had transpired just the other night. "This new threat that has appeared... it leaves me rather troubled."

"I can understand that, my lady." her guard, Philia, nodded in agreement. "What those creatures are... They are far from human."

"What could they be...?" the queen of the country wondered before she saw a familiar figure, accompanied by four others, approaching. Almost instantly, a smile graced her features. "Ah, Chrom. Lissa. Welcome home."

"Big sister!" Lissa walked up and hugged Emmeryn. "I missed you so much!"

"And I you." Emmeryn returned the gesture of affection.

"It is good to be back, Emmeryn." Chrom smiled. L and Frederick were right behind him.

"I trust everything is well on your end?" the Exalt asked, noticing the appearance of the elegant-robed boy.

"A little bandit troubles, but nothing serious." Chrom shrugged before his face turned serious. "Although, it was what happened on our way here that is worth mentioning."

"Yes, I am aware of that." Emmeryn nodded. "There have been a few other reported cases of inhuman creatures appearing after such events. Forests set ablaze, the skies bleeding, and the earth torn asunder... I fear for what this entails."

"Forgive me, my lord." Philia bowed her head apologetically. "I should have handled the situation properly."

"The fault isn't with you, Philia." Chrom assured the guard.

Lissa giggled as she looked at L. "Besides, we had plenty of help!"

"Oh?" Emmeryn inquired. "You speak of your companion here?"

"That's right." Chrom nodded. He gestured to the man, cuing him to step forward. "This is L. He has been our strategist for many battles and led us to victory."

"Oh? Is that so?" The Exalt was surprised. A young man such as him that brilliant of a strategist?

"Then it appears Ylisse owes you a great debt." Emmeryn smiled as she bowed her head in gratitude. "You have my thanks, L."

Chrom had a rather amused smirk as he watched L's face burn a similar shade of Sully's hair as he bowed deeply. "N-no, it was nothing, You're Majesty!" he said quickly. Lissa couldn't help but giggle while Chrom chuckled.

"I've also decided to make L a Shepherd." the prince stated. "Though his physical abilities could use some work."

"I do believe I can correct that, my lord." Frederick offered. L didn't know why, but for some strange reason, he felt himself go cold at the mere mention of Frederick offering to train him. "Strategies are all and good, but one's physical abilities are just as important."

"Indeed." Emmeryn agreed. "I must ask, Chrom, where did you find someone as capable as him?"

Chrom's expression grew solemn. "Truth be told...we found him unconscious along the path as we were traveling toward a village. When he came to, he possessed no memories of his past. Not even his identity."

Emmeryn's eyes widened, looking at the boy. Now that she looked clearly, he appeared rather frail, and his face and mannerisms showed that he was lost, unfamiliar with the customs and ways with this world. Truly, her heart ached for this young man, having no past to recall, nor a name to remember.

"I see..." Emmeryn said, sadness appearing over her face. "But... Why do you bear the name L, then?"

L produced something from his pocket, revealing the object attached to the musical heart. Written on the back of the object were two letters, L.L. "The object in question has his initials." Frederick answered. "Hence, we refer to him by the letter."

"Speaking of that thing, you have GOT to hear the music that heart plays!" Lissa said excitedly as she tapped the heart.

Emmeryn couldn't help but look at the opened locket in astonishment, hearing what could only be described as a beautiful euphoria. "What a beautiful sound..."

"Indeed it is." L smiled in agreement. Even though he may not remember where he obtained this object, nor where he first heard the melody, the music that resounded brought ease to his heart.

"I am honestly grateful that this was in my possession."

"Something to be grateful for, as well as the one who gave it to you." Chrom stated. "Although, we didn't just come here to talk about things like that."

"Indeed, you did not." the Exalt became serious. "There is a meeting being held to discuss the events that have been transpired. I trust you wish to join as well?"

Chrom nodded. "Of course. Besides, there is a matter I would like to discuss with you... in private, if possible." Emmeryn frowned, wondering what was important, but nodded. Seeing the current mood, Lissa grabbed L's hand. "Well, that's our cue!" the blonde told the amnesiac. "C'mon L!"

"W-wait, where are we going?" he asked as he was being dragged by the young princess. Frederick sighed, shaking his head. "I will be back momentarily, milord and milady." the Great Knight said. "I must make sure Lady Lissa does not drag the poor boy all over the place."

Chrom grinned in amusement, nodding as a form of consent. Once the knight was on his way, the two made their way to the conference.

"So, what did you wish to speak with me about, Chrom?" Emmeryn asked her younger brother. "Judging from the look on your face from earlier, it must be very important."

"It is... It actually regards L." Chrom said, his face darkened. "Sister... he has the Exalt's brand."

The Exalt's eyes widened in shock. Was what she heard correct? "A-Are you sure...?"

"I am." Chrom nodded in affirmation. "I've seen the brand in both of his eyes."

"Both...eyes...?" This news was indeed troubling.

"And that isn't even the half of it." the azure-haired man said grimly. "L also has some form of power called Geass."

Emmeryn's eyes widened considerably. "G-Geass...?" she whispered, albeit fearfully. The last time she had heard of it was when her father, the former Exalt, was in control and started the war with Plegia.

"Apparently, if he is looking someone in the eye, he can make them follow any order he gives them." Chrom informed her. "When the leader of a pack of brigands tried to take a village girl hostage, L commanded him to let the girl go. And that was exactly what he had done."

"The power of absolute obedience...Truly a frightening ability." Emmeryn spoke softly. To be able to bend the will of others at one's disposal...it is only fortunate that he is on their side.

"Indeed. Fortunately, it appears that he is not willing to use that power so haphazardly." Chrom continued, remembering from earlier events.

"If at all anything, he's rather... frightened of it." Chrom grimaced, recalling a matter from when they were still making their way to the capital.

XXXXXX

"H-hey, Chrom..." Said prince stopped, looking at the young man. "Do you think... this is a useful power to have?"

"You mean...Geass...?" L asked back. Chrom nodded. He wanted to know of L's own opinion regarding his ability.

The raven haired man took a moment before sighing. "...I would be lying if I said that this power did not have its benefits. But to be able to forcefully rob an individual of their free will...is quite disturbing. The more I think of what this ability of mine is capable of...I see it more as a curse than a blessing..."

"A curse?" Chrom was surprised by his answer. "What makes you say that?"

"Well...I keep getting this feeling, that If I continuously used this power, without any true thought about my actions...I may end up just pushing those close to me away. It would break the deep bonds of trust we have forged, subjecting myself to a life of eternal solitude."

Chrom was stunned. In a way, he hadn't really given much thought on how L would view his power, in fact, a part of him wondered if he was glad to have that power. L's words, however, had proven him wrong.

"And also... there's something I scared of." L said, his frail form trembling. "Anyone I look in the eye will follow my orders, even if I mean it as an example or a joke... What happens if I just say they would kill themselves if they were bored, or if they had nothing better to do, why not start a massacre?!"

Chrom was even more stunned by L's response. It never really occurred to him that such outcomes were possible. It only proved that L had something that many humans truly lack. He has a heart.

If you're so worried about things like that," he tried to lift the mood with a joke. "Then why not 'geass' yourself to not give such orders?"

L's eyes widened. He had seen the humor behind the joke, but the idea of giving himself orders to not give those sorts of commands had not occurred to him. "And also," Chrom brought his attention back to him, a smile on the man's face. "if such a thing were to happen, I would do everything in my power to ensure it won't happen. You have my word, L."

"Y-you promise?"

"Of course." he assured the amnesiac, patting his shoulder, offering a kind smile. "I look out for my friends... and you are among them, L."

XXXXX

"I see..." Emmeryn hummed, a pleasant smile of relief forming on her face. "L... he truly is a kind young man, isn't he? After all, when one is given power, they are usually grateful for it, and more often than not, abuse it. He, on the other hand, is frightened of this power... It is true, this power known as Geass may sentence him to a life of isolation, but there are some things that can be overcome with bonds."

"I know that." Chrom nodded in agreement. "After all, I consider all the members of the Shepherds to be a family, and if there is one thing I know better than anything else, it's that family always looks after each other."

XXXXX

"And welcome to the Shepherds Garrison, L!" Lissa said in an overly enthusiastic manner, spreading her arms around as she showed off the barracks to the tactician. It was large with a stone floor, several wooden holders containing a vast assortment of weapons lying about, tomes of magic stacked atop one another, some of which tossed around, and even a stable for some horses.

He also noticed that there were a few people here as well. The first was a burly man with a muscular build, bearing a shoulder pauldron and armor along his left arm, a red belt, and camo pants with greaves. He had a scar on his face, and his blonde hair was swept back. The second was a girl with brown hair, dressed in light pink armor with a brown undergarment. The third was another girl, dressed in frilly clothes that looked rather expensive, her blonde hair done in curly pigtails, two bows keeping them in place. The last was a man with brown hair, a gentle face, donning what looked like extremely heavy armor, also bearing an oval shield on his back. 'How can he even carry such armor?!' L thought in amazement before noticing that Virion and Sully were there as well.

To his amusement, the archer was once again trying to swoon Sully over... and failing miserably.

"So...are these all the Shepards?" He asked her.

"Yep! Welcome to the group!" She smiled.

"Huh? Who is this guy?" The Blonde man asked as they entered. He took a good look at L and came to one conclusion... "This guy...is a twig."

The reaction was rather amusing to say the least. L comically face-faulted to the ground, causing Lissa to giggle like mad while the blonde man cackled before L got back up and glared, his face bright red. "DAMMIT ALL! WILL PEOPLE QUIT SAYING THAT! IT ISN'T MY FAULT I HAVE NO MUSCLE! YOU PEOPLE ARE ALL JUST EXERCISE NUTS-!"

'Forget it, Le...h I was always better than you when it came to sports!'

'Quit talking ancient history!'

'It seven years ago!'

'Haa... haa... Damned exercise nut...'

A stinging pain erupted in L's head, causing him to hiss in pain and clutch his head. "Nrgh...!"

"L-L!" L had fallen on his knees and Lissa knelt down beside him. "What's wrong?!"

"M-my...head...grh!" The throbbing in his cranium failed to cease. In fact, it was only growing stronger. The voices he heard before rushed into his head. For some reason, he could hear his own voice, and a familiar one. However, he was unable to identify the second voice."

"W-whoa, he okay?!" the blonde asked, suddenly growing worried. "Look, hey, I didn't mean anything by it! You're not a twig, I swear!"

"Ugh, move it, you barbarian!" the haughty looking woman said, shoving the man aside as she kneeled down. "Are you alright?"

"M-my head..." L gritted his teeth, the pain increasing. "It... h-hurts...!"

The woman nodded and stood back up brandishing what looked like a staff. Taking a deep breath, she held it out in front of her, holding it with both hands. Similar to what Lissa had done, a green light slowly began to dance around her before covering L's trembling form. "There... That should do it."

L panted heavily, the pain slowly dulling away. His face was marred with sweat. "Dear me, what happened?" Virion asked worriedly. "You looked to be in great pain, Sir L."

"It's..." L said, trying to catch his head. "It was... nothing..."

"You're face says otherwise." Sully scoffed, not believing the obvious lie. Although, she had to admit, she did kind of feel a bit impressed with him not wanting to worry them.

"I'm sorry for worrying all of you...but I'm serious. I'm fine now. It was just...a brief migraine." He tried to brush it off.

"Are you sure? That looked worse than a simple migraine." Lissa argued.

"It's fine...I just...wasn't expecting it. So it seemed worse than what it actually was."

"Well, be sure to let us know." Virion advised. "After all, you are this army's new tactician."

"Eh?" the blonde asked, surprised. "You mean this guy's the kid you were talkin' about?"

"Yep." Sully nodded. "That would be mister Amnesia."

"It's... L, actually." the tactician sighed. "Still, nice to meet all of you."

"A pleasure to meet you as well, milord." the woman greeted with a smile, giving a curtsy bow. "Maribelle, at your service!"

"Yo, kid!" the blonde grinned, raising a hand in greeting. "The name is Vaike... but you can call me Teach!"

"O-oh, I'm next, aren't I?" the brown-haired girl fidgeted before bowing formally. "How do you do? My name is Sumia. It's very nice to meet you."

"You as well." L nodded before looking at the man in the heavy armor. "And... you are?"

The man actually looked shocked, blinking and looking around before point a finger at himself. "Y-you mean me?"

"Well, am I looking at anyone else right now?" L asked sarcastically.

"N-no...that's not what I meant!" The man responded quickly. "It's just...I wasn;t expecting you to see me."

"Huh? What do you mean?" L asked in confusion. How could he not see him? He stood out fairly well with all that armor.

"Well...Most of the time, people don't even notice I'm here, even if I've been standing here the entire time."

"Unfortunately, it's true..." Maribelle sighed. "We have no idea how he does it. He would be standing out in the middle of a battlefield, doing some sort of crazy and barbaric dance, and you wouldn't even notice him."

"I... see..." L sweat dropped, though he wondered how in the holy hell that was even possible. "Either way, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm L."

"Kellam." the man in the armor smiled in greeting. "Nice to meet you."

"Um, pardon, but..." Sumia spoke up. "Lissa, when might we see the captain?"

"You won't believe this..." Maribelle sighed. "This poor girl was looking over the horizon to see when Chrom would arrive! She'd have earned fewer bruises if she were wearing a blindfold."

"Heehee..." Lissa giggled mischievously. "You sure do like my brother, don't you Sumia?"

"U-Um...well, that's..." Her face was painted in a furious blush. "I mean that...I...he..."

"Um...I guess we can take that as confirmation?" L asked, sort of getting the vibe from the conversation.

"Trust me, kid." Sully chuckled. "Poor girl is very smitten over the captain."

"What about me?" Chrom's voice echoed as he entered the garrison, accompanied by his faithful knight.

"C-Captain!" Sumia cried, her cheeks tinged with pink. She was about to run over to him when-

CRASH!

"Owwie..." the girl whined once her body fell face first to the ground.

"Sumia!" Chrom shouted worriedly as he helped the girl up. "Are you alright? ...those blasted boots of yours again?"

"N-no! W-well, yes, but..." Sumia fumbled with her words, ending with only a sigh.

"Ah, young love...!" Virion chuckled. "Sir Chrom is a lucky man."

"Wait...Chrom thinks that she trips only becuase of her boots?" L spoke in disbelief.

"Apparently so." Lissa sighed while nodding. "If only Sumia would just confess."

"It also does not help matters with the fact that Sumia is, how do you say, a klutz." Maribelle added. "She somehow trips on the smallest things, even on even ground!"

"I... see..." L sweat dropped before returning to the reason why Chrom arrived. "So, how was the meeting?"

"Eventful." Chrom informed him before looking at everyone. "Everyone, get ready. We're marching to Regna Ferox."

"Regna Ferox?" L repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"A nation of warriors, or so they say." Frederick answered his question. "They prefer battle over politics. Or, rather, battle IS their politics."

"Oh, so they're like muscle-brained idiots." L said, looking over at Vaike.

"Hey, what are you looking at me for?!" the blonde Warrior asked, growing defensive. "The Vaike has a brain!"

"Really?" Lissa said, not believing him for a second. "And what about those times when you lost your axe?"

"Hey, that was only one time!" he argued. "...Okay, twice, but training sessions don't count!"

"...I believe that answers my question then." L deadpanned. Everyone else laughed at the situation.

"Quiet you!" Vaike glared at the newcomer.

"Alright, arlight. Now everyone, allow me to formally introduce you to our new tatician." Chrom placed a hand on L's shoulder. "This is L."

"We've already had the honors of introducing ourselves." Maribelle said. "I must ask, how did you get a noble such as him in your service?"

"Eh?" L blinked, obviously taken off guard.

"Well, you must be a noble, if you are wearing such clothes!" the haughty woman tried to reason. "That, and you have the Brand of the Exalt in your eyes!"

"The Brand...of the Exalt?" L repeated in confusion.

"You mean you didn't know?" She asked.

"...I-I'm sorry...But...I don't remember..."

"L doesn't have any memories." Lissa informed them. "When we found him, he couldn't remember his past, or his name. His name comes from the initials on that weird thing with the musical heart."

"Musical heart?" Sumia tilted her head. L took out the object and opened up the locket.

Once the melody began to play, everyone couldn't help but feel at ease. "Ah, I never tire of hearing such a beautiful melody." Virion sighed in bliss. "That is truly a fine gift to give."

"That it is." Chrom agreed.

"Yeah...I don't remember where I got this...but I am grateful to have it." L held the object closely. As if it were the most precious thing.

"I've never heard of a such a beautiful song..." Sumia said, lost in a trance.

"On that, we agree..." Maribelle nodded.

"Thank you. Although, even though I don't remember, this song is rather...familiar and comforting..."

"Well, as much as I would like to listen to that..." Chrom chuckled. "I do believe it's time to go. Do I have any volunteers?"

"Heh, you can count me in!" Sully grinned confidently, flicking her nose. "Always ready to bash some skulls!"

"I'm afraid I will have to pass this time." Maribelle stated, crossing her arms over her chest. "Me and nerdowells do not mix."

"You'll be needing Teach and his trust axe!" Vaike smirked, showing off his bicep. L could only shake his head. Muscle brain idiot indeed. "Lemme at them!"

"I'm coming too!" Lissa shouted loudly, throwing her arms in the air. "You won't get rid of me that easily!"

"I shall come as well." Virion announced, doing a flourish of a bow. "After all, one must be prepared to strike from a distance, no?"

"I will go as well." Kellam said, though it appeared that, with the exception of L, only a few noticed him. "W-what? I've been here this whole time!"

"Oh...I'm sorry. Kellam. We...didn't really notice you there." Chrom apologized.

"No, no. It's fine. It happens." He waved it off, but couldn't help but feel a tad depressed.

L placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's okay Kellam. You are just very good at masking your presence. It will be a vital component on the battle field."

"Eh?" the man's eyes widened in surprise. "Y-you think so?"

"Of course!" L assured him.

"Er, Captain, I..." Sumia tried to speak up, but fumbled with her words. In truth, she wanted to partake in the mission to request Regna Ferox's aide, but when she thought about her own abilities, she thought she would be a hinderance. She was good with a spear, but that didn't exactly help much with her strange knack of falling over on her face.

"Is something the matter, Sumia?" Chrom asked.

"N-no! It's fine." Sumia reassured him. She didn't want him to worry for her. "I...I would like to go as well!"

"Are you sure?" Chrom asked, sincerely worried. Sumia nodded, albeit hestitantly. "Well, how about this? Stick at the back and watch, and then decide whether or not you can contribute. Deal?"

The girl nodded, smiling brightly. "Well, if that's all..." Chrom said, looking around to see if anyone wanted to back out now while they had the chance. "Alright, let's go."

"L." Chrom called over the raven haired man. "as our tactician, I need you to observe all our party members on how they fight, and their movements, and make decisions accordingly. Can I trust you for this?"

"Yes. I won't fail you."

"Good." Chrom smiled as he nodded. "Let's head out."

With that, the group began their march.

XXXXX

In Regna Ferox, there was certainly one hell of a commotion taking place. Currently, in the arena, several people, most of which supporters for the Khan known as Basilio, were watching a match taking place. The first combatant was a young male with dark hair, dressed in a blue robe with the sleeves cut short, bearing a fur lining, along with a leather guard and shoulder pad, alongside leather boots and slacks. In his hand was a Killing Edge blade.

His opponent was none other than the cloaked stranger from the other day, Lance.

Up on the spectator stands, a large man adorned in golden armor with fur along one of the pauldrons watched the fight with interest. His skin was dark, quite the contrast to Regna Ferox's snow climate, and had an eyepatch over one of his eyes. Beside him was Marth, who had his arms crossed over his chest, his expression calm.

"I have to admit, you're friend there is keeping with Lon'qu." Basilio said, rubbing his chin. "Where did he learn to fight like that?"

"I do not know." Marth replied, his eyes never leaving the fight. "We met by chance a few weeks ago during a simple job. We've been working together ever since."

"Heh, that so?"

In the duel itself, Lon'qu scowled fiercely as he continued to be put on the defensive, blocking each of Lance's strikes.

'He is fast. And his strikes are heavy. Truly...he is an experienced swordsman.' Lon'qu mused. Lance was silent. His stance remaining vigilant and his eyes trained on the opponent, trying to analyze his next move.

'Even still!' The warrior leapt in quickly, his sword raised for an overhead blow. 'This is truly a magnificent battle!'

Lance quickly brought up his own blade, blocking Lon'qu's strike. The force behind the attack was enough for him to slam his feet on the ground, struggling to keep the man from pushing him back. "...You're good." Lance praised his opponent. "It reminds me of my last spar with Tohdoh-sensei. However...!"

For a moment, Lon'qu could have sworn he saw red rings form around his irises. "I will win!"

In almost an instant, the tables suddenly turned on Lon'qu.

If Lance was holding back with his strikes before, then he has definitely gone all out. His slashes were coming in faster than ever before. Each swipe, each stab, each swing, Lon'qu was barley able to block or evade all of them. He received several cuts from the incoming strikes, and barely any time to plan a counterattack.

'What is he...?! It's like he is an entirely new fighter!' The swordsman panicked slightly. The man before him was fighting as if his life had depended on victory. And nothing was going to stop him from achieving that goal.

"Well, that's a hell of a turnabout." Basilio noted, narrowing his eyes on Lance's movements. "He's fighting like his life depends on it."

'It was the command HE gave him.' Marth thought as she watched the intensity grow, Lon'qu leaping back from a strike that would have definitely left a nasty scar. 'When either forcing himself to the limit, or when his life is threatened, Lance's combat prowess grows tremendously.'

"Damn." Lon'qu gritted his teeth as he blocked another strike with his blade, being forced back. "I need to finish this quickly."

"I couldn't agree more." Lance agreed, his eyes still possessing the red rim. He jumped backward, higher and farther than what most men should be capable of and shot forward the moment his feet touched the ground.

"He's planning to clash head on?!" Lon'qu quickly brought up his sword to meet his opponent. "If that's how you want to play...!"

It was in the blink of an eye as their blades clashed. Lon'qu poured all of his strength into this one final strike, intent on pushing him back. However, Lance's strength was far greater than his.

The blade broke, and the Myrmidon was thrown back, his body flying through the air before he came crashing back down, tumbling on the ground. Before he had a chance to get up, he found the katana's blade at his neck. "I win." Lance stated, his eyes bearing into the swordsman's own.

For a moment, he was silent before letting out a sigh. "I concede."

Immediately, the red ring vanished, and Lance removed his blade, sheathing it before offering his hand. "I trust you have seen enough, Khan Basilio?" Marth asked.

"Indeed I have." The dark-skinned man nodded, a large grin on his face. "Your companion truly is an outstanding Warrior."

"You're quite powerful..." Lon'qu groaned as he grasped Lance's hand, lifting himself up. "You would be able to give a Swordmaster a run for their money."

"You aren't so bad yourself." Lance complimented as he turned to join to his companion. Mid-way, he was stopped by Lon'qu.

"Hold."

"What is it?" he asked, curious as he turned to face the warrior. "Do you want a rematch?"

"No..." Lon'qu shook his head. "I am Lon'qu. And you are...?"

Lance was silent for a while, his eyes flickering in wonder before answering. "My name is...

XXXXX

Back with Chrom and the group, they were currently making their way towards Regna Ferox when a loud voice shouted at them from behind. "W-wait for me!"

Everyone stopped and turned to face the source of the voice. Running up to them was a young man with messy brown hair wearing bulky silver and green armor.

"Stahl?" Chrom questioned the newcomer.

"Why am I the last to hear about this expedition to Ferox?" He asked back.

"Hm? But Vaike was supposed to..." Lissa trialed off, already understanding what happened.

"Vaaaaike!" the blonde healer glared at the Warrior. "Did you forget to tell Stahl?!"

"Hey!" the masculine man rebuked. "The Vaike never forgets! ...he just doesn't remember most of the time is all."

"Uh-huh..." Lissa said, clearly not convinced and also annoyed by his stupidity. "I'm sure you'd forget your own name if you weren't constantly saying it yourself!"

"Hurk..." Vaike flinched before he quickly deciding to change the subject. "A-anyway, glad to have ya on the job, Stahl old buddy!"

"That makes two of us..." Stahl sighed, hanging his head in disappointment. "I totally had to miss breakfast... there was pie, muffins, cake... well, you get the idea."

"All those sound delicious." L agreed thoughtfully. The mere sound of such food was making his mouth water.

"Aren't they? Wait, I'm sorry but who are you?" Stahl asked the new face in the group.

"I am L. As of recently, I've been appointed the tactician of the Shappards."

"L?" Stahl frowned, the name hearing familiar before recalling it. "Oh, right! I've heard about you from Miriel! Welcome aboard!"

"Miriel?" L asked. "I take it she's the mage Chrom mentioned?"

"Yes, she is." Chrom nodded for confirmation. "We'll have her take a look at you when we reach Regna Ferox."

"Fair warning, she might take an interest in your Geass." Lissa informed him. Vaike and Stahl frowned, obviously not hearing about this.

"Ge-what?"

"Geass. It's...an ability unique to L. We all found out about it recently, but helped us out on an occassion in the past." Chrom explained to them, not desiring to fully explain it at the moment. They would have the leisure to do so at a later time.

"Ah, I see." Stahl nodded in agreement. "And you should take Lissa's warning to heart. Miriel can be... pretty out there."

"Out there...?" L raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see soon enough." Stahl patted the tactician on the shoulder.

"She's just whacky, don't mind it." Vaike waved it off before noticing something waltzing toward. Almost instantly, he lost his friendly smile, and whipped out is axe. "Fellas, we've got company"

Everyone was then on high alert after Vaike's proclamation. Chrom's eyes widened upon seeing who was on the move.

"Gods! have the Risen spread this far?"

"Risen?" L questioned, unfamiliar with the term he gave them.

"We needed a name for this new threat, so the council gave them one." Frederick explained.

"Alright then..." L's eyes narrowed at the enemy, taking in account for his allies, and in account for the enemies, classes, and equipment. L's eyes became large when he saw a familiar sight. 'It's one of those things again!'

"SO you recognize them, L?" Chrom stated his companions thoughts. "Indeed. These are the monsters we fought before, and their leader as well."

"We have to remain vigilant. Everyone, remember what we're up against!" Chrom warned everyone.

"Mya ha! They'll remember ME once I drive my axe into their...!"

Vaike was boasting, ready to go, except for one missing detail...

"...Vaike...where is your axe?" Lissa deadpanned.

"Eh? What do you mean? It's right...?" Vaike felt around for the axe sheathed on his back, only to discover it wasn't there.

"Wait, where's my axe?!" the blonde warrior shouted. L could only face-palm, muttering "Idiot" under his breath. Somehow or another, this guy reminded him a bit too much of a certain red haired idiot named Tamaki.

Wait, Tamaki? Who was that?

...

...

...

'Now's not the time.' L thought, shaking the thoughts out of his head before preparing himself. "Vaike, you stay behind. Virion, hang back and provide support."

"Very well." Virion nodded, smirking. "Well, time for some target practice!"

"Sully, Stahl, fan out and attack on the left and right sides. Frederick, take the middle. Open up a path for us."

"You got it!" the brown-haired Chevalier nodded, taking out a blade from his sheathe. "Time to get serious!"

"Heh, bring it!" Sully's grin became feral, twirling her lance around while Frederick merely gave a huff, getting ready to charge.

"Chrom, help out Frederick."

The azure haired man nodded. "Understood."

"Lissa, you stick with Frederick as well." L turned to the healer. "Heal anyone that gets hurt."

"Roger!"

"Okay then..." L stated, glaring at the enemy. "Let's go!"

"Right!" Everyone yelled out in agreement. The operation had begun to commence. And they were all confident they would hail victorious.

On the opposing side of the battlefield, the Risen had noticed the party, and made their own plans to combat them.

"Sully! Advance to take out that Risen swordsman!"

"Got it!" the fiery-haired Chevailer said, charging forward. The Risen growled, moving towards her for a strike. It stopped mid-way, planted both feet into the ground, and swung with all of it's might. Sully's horse, however, easily leaped over it. Once it crashed back to the ground, it quickly made a turn, and Sully aimed for the head. "HERE!"

The Lance skwered the Risen's head, killing it instantly. The corpse slid off the weapon and fell to the ground, where it evaporated into dark smoke.

"Now, Stahl, you advance and take out the axe wielder on the right."

"On it!" The Chevalier accepted his orders and charged. the axe wielding Risen took notice of the brown haired man and attempted to cleave the head of the approaching horse in two. But Stahl steered clear at the last moment and swung his sword, lopping the Risen's head off.

A Risen wielding a spear charged straight at Chrom and Frederick, accompanied by a Myrmidon. The prince sighed, shaking his head before smirking at Frederick. "Shall we?"

"Indeed." the Great Knight nodded in agreement. "Let's!"

Frederick took the lead and charged in with his horse. Chrom followed soon afterward. The spear wielder had his weapon aimed to skewer the Great Knight in the heart, while the Myrmidon trailed behind it, aiming to deal a finishing blow. However, Frederick parried the incoming blade and impaled the Risen through the chest cavity. The Myrmidon tried to deal a swift counter attack but was met by Chrom's blade at the last second.

"Here!" Frederick shouted as he threw the impaled Risen off of his spear, tossing it at the Myrmidon. Chrom leaped back as the two tumbled to the ground, tangled with each other. The prince whistled at the teamwork, nodding in approval towards Frederick. "Nicely done."

"Anytime, my lord."

As the two monsters were starting to get untangled, they were engulfed in flames only a second later. "Ugh, I'm late..." a female, monotone voice drawled out. "How uncouth of me."

A Young woman with short red hair joined up with the team. She wore a set of black and white robes and pants and a black sorcery hat on her head. On the bridge of her nose sat wire rimmed glasses. In her right hand was a spell book, the other held an axe.

"Honestly, I'd not thought such dereliction permissible among the Shepherds." She sighed. Vaike saw the axe, and was now feeling conflicted of taking it, or backing away.

"Wait, my axe?" Vaike frowned, recognizing it. The mage sighed, shaking her head as she tossed it to the buffoon. "I wondered what idiot would drop this."

"Let me guess, that would be Miriel?" L asked, seeing the clothing and tome. Lissa nodded. "Yep! She's brilliant, and the best when it comes to magic!"

"Well, that's good to know. Now we have another ranged fighter to help us." L smiled.

"And who are you?" Miriel glanced at unfamiliar man.

"Oh, hello. My name is L. It's a pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand to her.

"Ah, the one with the unusual power to bend others to your will." Miriel said, clasping hands with him. "Chrom has already informed me of your situation. I would love to chat more, but I do believe we have other things to do." Her eyes turned to the Risen. "Such as rotten filth that needs to be cleaned."

"Indeed." L nodded, turning his attention back to the battle. "Miriel, side with Virion, provide support. Vaike, join Chrom and let them have it."

"Heh, nice and simple!" Vaike grinned as he charged in, axe dragging behind him. "ALRIGHT! WHO WANTS A TASTE OF THE VAIKE!"

As if in response, three swordsmen jumped in front of him. They were raging violently, aiming to kill anybody close by.

"...Oh the irony..." L face palmed, as he knew that swordsmen had the advantage over axe wielders.

Unfortunately, L did not take into account just how strong Vaike was. The man grinned as one leaped in front of him with the intention of cutting him down the middle. Vaike moved off to the left, letting the blade fly by him. Before the Risen could counter him, he grabbed the man by the head and then tossed him aside. When the second one came charging, Vaike waited for him.

Once they got in close, Vaike ducked underneath the strike, and then slammed his axe into their abdomen. "STRIIIIIIKE!" the axe-user shouted as the upper torso was torn apart, sent flying before it vanished into smoke. The third used this it's advantage, going over an overhead strike.

Vaike batted the blade away, gave the Risen a headbutt, then grabbed it by the skull, and throwing it with it's first downed comrade. "And now..." the man grinned from ear to ear as he leaped high into the air, his axe raised high. "ENTER THE VAIKE!"

He brought his axe down and decapitated both Risen. They soon evaporated into smoke soon after. "AHAHAHA! How's THAT you Risen bastards?!" He hefted his axe and rested it on his shoulder. "Now who else wants some?!"

As if in response to the challenge, an even larger Risen, standing a good two heads taller than Vaike landed in front of him. In its hands was a gigantic axe.

L sweat dropped. "I should have seen that coming."

The giant Risen growled, screaming in Vaike's face. The blonde man recoiled back, pinching his nose and fanning his hand away from him. "Ugh, dude!" he complained. "Two words: tooth brush!"

The Risen swung his axe. Vaike barely had any time to block, but the force behind it was enough to send him flying.

"Hmph..." Miriel glared at the creature as she delivered a powerful flame spell. The flames smashed up against it, the skin beginning to peel off and darken. "Oh? It's still alive?" she inquired, curious as she watched it shrug of the flames and glare at her with it's crimson glowing eyes. "Quite the endurance it possesses. A shame we have to kill it. It would make excellent research material."

"Stahl, Sully!" L ordered. "Flank it! Chrom, back up Vaike! Hit it with everything you got!"

"Right!" Everyone yelled in agreement. The Chevalier's moved in on their horses, the hoofs thundering across the earth, their weapons raised. When the Risen raised its arm to slam the axe upon the two, they evaded it by veering off to the side and stabbed their weapons into its legs.

The Risen howled in pain as it could no longer advance. Chrom went to help up Vaike, who was a tad disoriented from the rough landing, but quickly pulled himself together. They looked eachother in the eye, silently communicating before nodding, in agreement to the plan. Vaike headed in first, his trusty axe by his side while Chrom was by his side.

"Frederick!" Chrom shouted. "Keep him there!"

"Understood!" the Great Knight replied as he slammed his spear into it's arm, holding the gigantic axe. The Risen howled again, dropping the weapon.

Vaike went forward, gripping his axe with both hands and rammed it straight into the shoulder.

It roared in pain one more as its arm was cleaved off from the attack. It quickly turned to bite Vaike, but the axe wielder already jumped back.

In his place, Chrom shot forward and stabbed Falchion through its skull before bringing it down, cutting the Risen into two.

The creature howled no more as it's cleaved body fell to the ground, dispersing into smoke. "Whew..." Vaike sighed, falling to the ground in relief. "Never wanna deal with that again."

"This is most disturbing..." Frederick said as he hopped off his horse, placing his weapon on the saddle. "This is the second we have come across such powerful Risen, and also the second time it has led the weaker ones into battle."

"Then it would be safe to assume that these stronger Risen lead the small fry, would that be correct?" Miriel said curiously, a hand to her chin. "Fascinating... Perhaps these creatures possess a hierarchy of some kind?"

"We can discuss that later." Chrom stated as he sheathed his blade. "Has anyone been injured?"

"Heh, nothing to worry about!" Vaike said loudly. "The Vaike is just-YEOWCH!"

Miriel had struck Vaike in the back of the head. "Fool. How could you carelessly lose your weapon right before combat?!" She scolded harshly.

"I've said it before, and I say it again." L shook his head. "Muscle. Brained. Idiot."

Chrom sighed, shaking his head as well. "Lissa?"

Lissa nodded and went over to the man, healing the back of his head, along with any small wounds he got.

"Ow..." Stahl groaned, tending to his arm. "Those guys hit hard..."

"Well, that's to be expected." Frederick cracked his neck to relive the tension. "They are definitely not normal fighters. They exist to fight until the opponent is annihilated, which is why they keep fighting even if mortally wounded."

"They make good exercise for when we get Regna Ferox though." Sully pointed out. "Since fighting is their democracy and whatnot. My kind of place."

"A group of barbarians if you were to ask me." Virion commented. "However, I wonder what the women look like?"

"I thought you were after Sully though?" L asked, slightly confused before it hit him and sighed. "You know, Virion, the day will come when you will be torn apart by girls, and I'm going to be laughing."

"Oh, how you wound me, L." Virion sighed dramatically.

L just shook his head in response. Really, he hasn't seen behavior like this since Gino...

Almost immediately, L felt another migrain coming on, his teeth grinding against each other as he clutched his head. "Nrgh..."

"L-L!" Lissa cried in worry as she tried to support him. Everyone immediately gathered at his side.

"This again?!" Vaike said. "Seriously, you get these often?!"

"I-I-I don't...know...!" He grunted. His head throbbed sharply, as if something was trying to break open from the inside of his skull. Was he actually remembering something?

Soon, the pain finally subsided. He took deep breaths to steady himself. His vision refocused and he looked at the others, who were looking at him in concern.

"Are you okay, L?" Stahl had asked, worried about his comrade's sudden episode.

"Y-yeah..." L panted heavily as he tried to steady himself. "Dammit... Where did that come from?"

"Did you remember something?" Chrom asked. "It might be that those migrains of yours are your memories coming back."

"That is actually an accurate assumption." Miriel pointed out. "Extreme headaches are signs of past memories locked away returning by force, either through internal stimuli or by external forces. In this case, Virion's behavior."

"I recall a name... Weinberg. Gino Weinberg."

"Gino?" Chrom frowned, tilting his head. "That doesn't sound familiar... In fact, it sounds rather foreign."

"Actually, it sounds rather close to Valmese." Virion noted. "However, I do not recall the name Weinberg."

"But it's a start, right?" Lissa offered. "it means L's slowly getting his memories back!"

"That may be true Lissa." Chrom agreed. But by the name, Weinberg, it would seem that L is not native to this land.

"Tell me, L, are there any other names you can recall?" Miriel asked, pushing up her glasses.

"Let's see... there's Tamaki, Gino, and another name... Suzaku. Oh, and some nation called Britannia."

"Tamaki, Suzaku...and Britannia?" Chrom frowned at the unfamiliar terminology. He had never heard of these names before, or what Britannia is. But from the sound of it, they played a large role in his life.

"do you know of them?" L asked the group, hoping for an answer.

"Unfortunately not." Miriel shook her head. "The name Suzaku is possibly from Chon'sin, as is Tamaki, but as for Britannia, that in itself is unfamiliar. Also, there is no landmass, country, or kingdom by that name."

"I see..." L sighed, lowering his head. "However," Miriel spoke up. "That does not mean they do not have any significance. Are there any details about any of these names? Anything at all?"

L dipped his head, trying to recall any details. Vaike reminded him a bit of Tamaki, so that meant he was probably another idiot or fool, while Gino was possibly the same as Virion, if not possibly worse or the about the same. It was then that he remembered the details about the dream, the one involving the child who looked like him, and the brown haired boy, Suzaku.

"I remember having a dream... regarding the last two." L answered, his face becoming serious. "I was in some kind of field... and it looked like a warzone. The whole place looked demolished, there was a bonfire with a soldier. I think he was cremating his comrades... And also..."

"And what?" Miriel pressed.

"There were two children... One of them had brown hair. The other had black hair. I think he might have been me, when I was younger."

"A childhood memory..." the mage noted absent mindedly. "Anything else?"

"Yeah..." L nodded grimly. "The black haired boy... he said..."

'I swear... I swear, Suzaku, so help me... I will one day... OBLITERATE BRITANNIA!'

"O...bliterate..." Chrom repeated the word, finding it difficult to believe. Did he really see a young boy shout that phrase? Was his hatred for Britannia so great that his goal would be to wipe its existence off the face of the globe?

"Yikes," Vaike shuddered. "The hell kind of world did you live in, L, that would make you wanna destroy a country?"

"You mentioned a warzone, correct?" Miriel asked, earning a nod. "Hm, a desire for destruction against a country... One can only imagine what would make a child utter such words. At any rate, if you recall any names or people, let me know at once."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Milord, I believe we have lingered here enough." Frederick advised. "We must continue on our way."

"Right." Chrom nodded. "Well, let's... continue... what in the...?"

When the group started to march, the sound of battle was finally gone, thus allowing them to hear the sound of a horse neighing and the sound of wings flapping. Looking ahead, L strained his eyes to get a look at something in the distance before a look of pure disbelief filled his face. "Is that... a horse with wings?"

"Oh! A pegasus!" Lissa realized.

"Pega...sus?" L repeated.

"I take it you've never seen a Pegasus before?" Chrom asked L, who nodded in response. Even if he had his memories, L was certain he hadn't seen something like this before.

"Pegasus are horses with wings, as you can obviously see." Miriel explained. "Knights ride them, and excel greatly in aerial combat. Pegasus Riders can promote to Dark Riders, Pegasus Riders that can use magic, or another class of the same capabilities, except with healing magic rather than the norm."

"Ah, I see..." L nodded as Lissa and Chrom went to go check on it. "Oh, speaking of which, Chrom said you might be able to figure out what class I am, considering he's never seen it before."

"I was informed of that." the mage told him. "You have great intelligence, but you have no knowledge of magic, and you're physical strength is, to put it bluntly, non-existence." L face-faulted once again, his eyebrow twitching. Why was everyone calling him weak?! Seriously! It wasn't his fault! "Normally, those with high intelligence can use magic, but you are another story. Please, stand still."

"O...kay...?" L said, confused, but did as he was told. Runes began to dance around him as Miriel began her spell.

A few seconds later, the runes died down, and Miriel opened her eyes. "Fascinating..." she muttered, beginning to observe L from every angle. "From the clothes, to the brilliance... Little wonder this class is unique."

"Huh? What class. Have you figured out what Class I am?" L asked hopefully.

"Indeed." Miriel nodded. "It's a unique class, one that is not listed. Occassionally, you happen to meet individuals with classes of great potential, but exclusive only to them. They might bear a resemblance to another class, but make no mistake, each is powerful in their own right."

"So... what class do I possess?"

"A class that grants unmatched intelligence, and knowledge of swords and spears... The Emperor."

"The...Emperor...?" L repeated. Was the Emperor really a class? And knowledgeable of swords and spears...well...that explains how he was able to use a sword the first time.

"Yes. While you lack pretty much any fighting prowess, you are a brilliant strategist. Your mind is capable of changing the outcome of the battlefield."

"I see..." L nodded. Still, an Emperor? He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but strangely, it sounds very familiar.

However, his musings were cut short when he heard Chrom yell, "WHOA!"

Turning quickly, he saw the Pegasus thrashing about, but it was unable to remove itself from it's place, as if bound there. "What in blazes?!" the azure-haired prince shouted as he tried to move away. "Careful, everyone! This thing is mad!"

"Captain! One moment!" Sumia rushed up to them. But in her hurry, she tripped and fell flat on her face.

"Sumia! Are you alright?...Those boots of yours again?"

"No! I mean, yes! I mean...haa..." She sighed in frustration at her own mistake.

"Well...come no closer, this beast is crazed." He warned her.

"It's okay, Captain. I can handle this..." She spoke with confidence.

L and the others could only watch as Sumia, with hardly any effort at all, managed to calm the creature down. "Ssh, ssh... there there..." she whispered to it, the rampaging pegasus calming itself down as it's wings slowly curled around and folded back. "Whoa..."

"Sumia has a knack for these kind of things." Stahl chuckled. "Even still, no matter how many times I see it, I still can't understand how she does it."

"Individuals such as Sumia have quite an affinity with animals." Miriel smiled slightly. "How, though, is beyond even me."

"Captain, why don't you and the others go on ahead?" Sumia asked as she gently stroked the creature's head. "I'll stay here and look after this little guy."

"Er, are you sure?" Chrom asked, slightly hesitant, but after seeing the look on the girl's face, he sighed, having no other choice but to comply. "Very well..."

With that, they continued on their way. As they passed, L couldn't help but admire the scene in front of him. For a moment, he couldn't help but forget the threat of the Risen, nor the rising tensions that had been revolving lately.

...

...

...

'I wish the world were a gentler place.'

"Grgh!" L felt, yet again, another migraine invading the recesses of his mind. "Guh...Gragh!" He hunched over, cluthing his head in agony.

"H-hey L! L!" The toehr rushed to his side, Lissa already using her healing magic.

"Dammit, again?" Vaike groaned, but was also worried. "How many of those are you goung to have today?"

L did not hear him, or anyone. In his mind, the images of an individual had taken hold. That individual was a young girl, barely past her early teen years. She had long, light brown hair that fell to the small of her back. However, her eyes were closed, and she was stationed in a wheel chair. SHe was blind and crippled. Yet even so, she still possessed a smile that was bright enough to dispel the darkness of the abyss.

The whole group became shocked when they saw tears falling from his face. "L...?" Chrom asked, wondering what was making him cry.

He could have sworn he heard his friend mutter the name, "Nunnally..."

_Episode 3: Fragments of the Past  
_


	4. Chapter 4: The Brewing of a Storm

**Helloooooo everybody! Whoo boy, you have no idea how good it is to be working on this again! I am so glad Fates got me back into this story, which I SERIOUSLY thought about deleting! Fear not, however, for now, I have returned with a vengeance! Of course, that being said, I still have a lot on my plate, such as school work and whatnot. At any rate, today we get heavily into the battle of the first encounter with Regna Ferox, as well as some Support Conversations! I hope you enjoy them. Also, I have a new poll up on my profile regarding a new story I will be writing, a companion piece to this story you could say. It will cross over Fire Emblem Fates and Code Geass, with Lelouch once again taking the helm, though unlike this one, he will not be taking the protagonist's place. Basically, the poll will decide which kingdom Lelouch will be born to, and who his siblings will be. The choice are:**

**Nohr (if born to Garon, he will be taken away from Garon, and raised in Hoshido), and Hoshido (if born to Mikoto, he will be kidnapped alongside Corrin). Lelouch's reincarnation into one of the royal families is very important to the overall plot, as I have two storylines in mind for each of them, just in case. Anyway, enough about that! It's time to announce the previous poll of the pairing between Lelouch and two special ladies! Drumroll please!**

**And, the winner iiiiiiiiiiiiiis... LUCINA!**

**Well, without further ado, welcome back to Fire Emblem: The Miraculous Birthday!**

_"We have won our future, but we are in debt to so many sad memories... I pray at least one of those sadnesses will yet be undone." -Lucina, Princess of Ylisse_

_**Fire Emblem: The Miraculous Birthday**_

It had been a few hours since L's last "attack," and having been given the time to rest, the Shephards continued their march to Regna Ferox. The group traveled mostly in silence, save for the few conversations that were struck every now and then.

"Gah, I'm so hungry... Man, I hope we get something to eat while we're at Ferox."

"Oh, lighten up, Stahl! The Vaike thinks we're gonna get lots a food!"

"I hope you're right, Vaike."

"Frederick, my feet hurt..."

"Milady, that is the tenth time you have said as much."

"Dear Sully, what say you to a wonderful night of star gazing?"

"That all depends, will you finally shut up for once?"

L was the only quiet one of the group, trailing far back behind them. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. He had two headaches in one day, and if the frequency was anything to go by, they were starting to hurt each time. He was happy, though. He finally remembered something, something significant other than a few scattered fragments. "Nunnally..." he whispered, the name rolling off his tongue easily and smooth, as if it were natural. "I wonder... who is she?"

"Something on your mind?"

L looked over his shoulder to see the azure-haired prince walking up beside him, a pleasant smile on his face. "Oh... Chrom," he greeted, nodding. "Sorry about earlier."

"Don't worry about it, I'm just glad your okay." he told him. "That one looked like it did a number one you."

"I see...well I apologize for worrying all of you. I don't even know what happened." He shrugged sheepishly.

He had a few ideas what might have caused the headache. Considering it happened after Sumia managed to calm down a wild pegasus, the scene had brought forth some sort of memory to him, leaving behind some clue to his past, or who he was. The name Nunnally was obviously important, as was Suzaku. As much as he would have liked to ponder about he significance of the two names, he needed to focus on the task at hand, given that they were about to enter a country that had battle as it's diplomacy.

"Well, try to keep it together," Chrom suggested. "After all, who knows what might happen in Ferox?"

"You think we might be forced to fight?"

"Given that Ferox is more of a fighting country than a diplomatic one, we just might have to." the captain replied in distaste. "Though I hope not. Oh, by the way, I talked with Miriel earlier." The man smiled at his raven-haired companion. "So, your a king now, I hear?"

"Well...that is still up for debate. I just can't see myself to be royalty of any kind." L stated.

And why's that?" Chrom asked. "You have the clothes, the personality for it, and the abilities of a leader. In my opinion, you'd make an excellent king. A lot better than me, that's for sure."

L huffed. "Chrom, you sell yourself short."

"Oh? How?"

"For one, you try too hard to be like Emmeryn."

"What do you mean?" He questioned.

"Well for one, you try too hard to help everyone you can find. While it is good to help others, there is a limit one person can do alone. No matter how much you try, you just can't save everyone."

Chrom opened his mouth to retort, but found himself unable to. No words of refute came out to rebuke that statement. "...Well, I suppose you have a point." he conceded, sighing. "Even still, I can't help but try to help whoever I can. It's just the kind of person I am, L. There's no changing that."

"I realize that," the tactician replied. "But your also forgetting something else."

"And what's that?"

L smiled. "You have the Shepherds with you. Alone, there's little you can accomplish. However, if you have others to support you, then anything is possible, especially when the leader thrusts himself headfirst into the battlefield. After all, if the king doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?"

Chrom blinked rapidly, stopping for a moment as he stared at L in bewilderment. The raven-haired teen tilted his head. "...What?"

"...Those were the most amazing words I have heard in my life." Chrom shook his head. "If I didn't know any better, I would've thought you were a philosopher. But you're proving more and more that you originate from royalty."

"Again, I really doubt I'm royalty."

"Just wait and see. I bet 10,000 Gold your some prince from a foreign country. Hell, I'll bet 100,000 that your a king!" he joked, laughing all the while. "Jokes aside, you do have a point. If I just sit on the sidelines, it will only make others see me as some coward. To tell you the truth, I rather feel that way when I have the others fighting with me."

"Your too hard on yourself, Chrom." L told him. "It's never a bad thing to accept help from others. Whatever comes your way, we'll have your back."

The prince smiled at this, nodding. "Thank you, L... The same could be said for you. We'll do whatever we can to help you. After all, your helping us plenty with those strategies of yours."

"For that, I am grateful." The violet eyed male smiled.

"No problem."

* * *

_**Support Conversation: L and Chrom**_

**L: Haa, haa... I feel as if I've escaped death...!**

**Chrom: Hm? L, is that you?**

**L: O-oh... H-hey, Chrom...!**

**Chrom: Whoa, are you alright?! You look ready to faint! What happened?!**

**L: Frederick is what happened. Ever since he came up with the brilliant idea of toughening me up, I've been subjected to every training method known to man, and he takes it entirely TOO DAMN FAR!**

**Chrom: What? Please, Frederick may be a bit over the top sometimes, but-**

**L: Chrom... he put a pile of stones on my back as I did push-ups. He forced me to run five miles with Lissa on my back, who by the way, was carrying weights, and made me swim in a river while wearing Kellam's suit of armor!**

**Chrom:...You are right. That seems a bit extreme, even for Frederick.**

**L: How can he even come up with exercises like this? They are inhuman!**

**L: Why doesn't THAT surprise me?**

**Chrom: Look, I'll see if I can make Frederick tone down the training. In the meantime, get some rest. You look ready to fall apart.**

**L: Hah, thanks Chrom... I owe you one.**

_[Support Rank C Achieved]_

* * *

_**Support Conversation: L and Lissa**_

**Lissa: Hello, L? You in here? Hello?**

**L: Zzzzzzz... Zzzzzz...**

**Lissa: Oh, there you are! I've been looking for you!**

**L: Zzzzzz...**

**Lissa: Wait, is he asleep?**

**L: Zzzzz... mnrgh... N-Nunnally...**

**Lissa: Nunnally?**

**L: Nunnally...I...I'm sorry...**

**Lissa: Sorry? For what?**

**L: I...I couldn't...**

**Lissa: H-hey, L?**

**L: I'm sorry...I...I failed you...!**

**Lissa: L? Please, wake up!**

**L: Mnrgh... W-what?**

**Lissa: Whew, I thought you'd never wake up!**

**L: O-oh, Lissa... Sorry, I was just going over some books that Miriel gave me. I guess I must have dozed off.**

**Lissa: It looked like you were having a nightmare... You were calling out for someone named Nunnally. Is she... someone important?**

**L: I... don't know, to be honest. Really, there's only a handful of things I really remember.**

**Lissa: I see...Well, I hope you regain your memories soon. Maybe we can learn more.**

**L: Maybe...**

**Lissa: Anyway, Chrom was looking for you. Something about a strategy meeting?**

**L: Is that so? Thanks, Lissa!**

**Lissa: ...Sorry, L. I guess I didn't have the heart to tell you that were crying too.**

_[Support Rank C Achieved]_

* * *

_**Support Conversation: L and Sully**_

**Sully: HRAAAGH! YAAAAGH!**

**L: Sully? Is that you?**

**Sully: Whew... Oh, hey.**

**L: Training, I take it?**

**Sully: Yep. Just because I ride on a damned horse don't mean I can't start knocking some skulls in on foot.**

**L: Well, color me impressed. You managed to break two training logs in one go... A lot better than what I can say for myself. I can barely hold a sword right, let alone carry a spear!**

**Sully: That's because your like a damned twig.**

**L: Don't you start. It's bad enough I have Frederick making go through hell. He had me SWIMMING through a river! In Kellam's armor!**

**Sully: He does that to all new recruits. Ain't just you. When I first joined up, he had me carry two jars full of stones all the way up a mountain side. You drop 'em on your way up or down, you have to start back at the beginning.**

**L: And you actually did that? Gods, that's insane.**

**Sully: Eh, it ain't nothing, really. That's one of the more easier drills.**

**L: That was EASY?!**

**Sully: Yeah. Hey, if you want, I can teach you a thing or two about using a spear.**

**L: Really? That'd be helpful.**

**Sully: Of course, we'd have to work more on your endurance and arm strength in order to be able to carry it properly...**

**L: Alright, fine by me... So long as you don't sick Frederick the Tormentor on me.**

_[Support Rank C Achieved]_

* * *

_**Support Conversation: L and Kellam**_

**L: Alright, done. Everything's where it should be.**

**Kellam: L? What are you doing?**

**L: Just doing a quick inventory check. I just got down browsing the weapon and armory, and I checked in with Lissa a while ago to see how we're doing with rations.**

**Kellam: Really? Your doing that all by yourself?**

**L: Normally, that would be Miriel's job, but she's preoccupied with an experiment at the moment, so I'm filling in for her. Besides, it gets me away from Frederick, so I'm not complaining.**

**Kellam: For what it's worth, I'm sorry you had to swim up the river wearing my armor.**

**L: It's alright. You are not at fault.**

**Kellam: Even so, I bear some responsibility since you had to swim through those terrible torrents in my armor.**

**L: Seriously, it's fine. To be perfectly honest, I'm astounded you could even wear that monstrosity! It must weigh a ton!**

**Kellam: Not really. All new recruits go through Frederick's training program, and usually end up running home crying to their mommy, or end up being tough as nails... and I'm not kidding. I remember three recruits running away from Frederick when he told them they had to subdue a wyvern with their bare hands, screaming for their mothers.**

**L: ...I knew the man was something else, but to fight a wyvern with your bare hands?! You'd have to be someone like Sully or Vaike to just get your arms around it!**

**Kellam: Indeed. It was a rather difficult task, but some of the trainees were able to execute it.**

**L:...Seriously?!**

**Kellam: Yeah... Though as usual, nobody noticed me doing it until Frederick noticed I had managed to knock it out. *sigh* How come nobody manages to realize that I'm right there in front of them?**

**L: Hey, I can see you just fine. That should mean something, right?**

**Kellam: Yeah, I guess... Well, anyway, if you need anything, give me a holler, okay? It's the least I can do.**

**L: Sure thing.**

_[Support Rank C Achieved]_

* * *

When the group arrived at Regna Ferox, L found himself shivering. "Crap, it's so freaking cold!" he hissed through clenched teeth, trying to warm himself up as he furiously ran his hands over his arms. Only an hour into their entry into Feroxi territory had they suddenly become bombarded with chilling winds and snow piling at their feet. Even the trees were frosted over with shivering white. Lissa was fairing no better, having taken shelter behind Frederick's horse.

"Brrrrrr, i-it's so f-freebing!" the blonde type shivered, her teeth clicking together, left in a similar state as L.

Frederick smiled. "Stand beside the horse, milady. She'll shield you from the cold."

Th-thank you F-Frederick...!" Lissa chattered out.

L felt envious that she had some form of shield from the bitter winds.

"Talk about whipping up a frenzy," Sully shivered. "Damn, should have brought a coat or something."

"If you want, milady," Virion smiled as he gave her one of his "charming" glances, hand at his cravat. "I can offer you a great deal of warmth."

Sully immediately shot him a glare. "If this involves crap like the "warmth of your heart," I think I'll take my chances with sleeping in bed with a Risen. Better yet, I'll sleep with Vaike!"

"Hey!" the aformentioned brute snapped. "The heck are you trying to say about the Vaike?!"

"What do you think, nimrod?"

Another blast of cold wind blew up against L, causing him to shudder further. Good god, the temperature must have been close to zero for Pete's sake. He could hardly understand how in the world people could thrive in this weather. The people of Regna Ferox must be formidable indeed to endure such harsh weather conditions. He ceased his pondering when he felt something wrap around his body, that something but a wool cloak. He looked over his shoulder to see Stahl wearing one as well, smiling sheepishly.

"Figured you could use a coat, seeing how you didn't do so well with the wind." he said. "The last thing we need is you passing out from the cold."

"T-thanks, Stahl."

"Anytime."

He pulled the coat closer to his body. He was beginning to feel warmer already from the added layers blocking out the frigid air. He just hoped they would get this task over with and return to warmer climates.

Eventually, their march had come to a small stop. "There," Frederick pointed ahead of them. From beyond the windy, white veils of the snowy wind, L could make out the outline of what looked to be a fort of some sort. "That's the Feroxi Fort."

The tactician squinted, trying to distinguish the Fort's form more accurately. Once he had, he was left gobsmacked. "It's massive!"

"I'd hope so," Chrom noted idly. "It is one of the few gateways into Ferox. Let's just hope the welcoming party is civil."

"Civil?"

"The people of Ferox are all noble warriors. There is a chance that they may find us hostile and retaliate."

"The way Maribelle talked about them, I would have thought that they were all like Vaike." L said, earning a scowl from the blonde brawler.

"The Vaike heard that, twig!"

"Enough," Frederick snapped. "We need to have an audience with the khan as soon as possible."

"Okay. I may be a bit pessimistic on this, but I feel like they are going to attack us rather than letting us in so easily."

Sully smirked. "Fine by me. I always wanted to see what kind of guys the Feroxi are!"

* * *

It had only been a few days since Lon'qu had been defeated at the hands of Lance, and within that time, the vacant arena was the hub for activity. Marth stood in the center of the circular ring, his blade having already been drawn. All around him were several soldiers, wielding tomes, swords, axes, and spears. His face showed little emotion, instead falling into his own battle stance, blade held in front of him. Beneath the mask, his enemies could see the glare that was directed at them. There were no words spoken, only an intensity that dared them to make a move.

from afar, the hooded individual watched her, his arms folded over his chest as he watched, waiting for the battle to begin. It would only take a moment before the battle would begin, and once it had, there would be no stopping it. It wouldn't end until all of them had fallen. In the end, it was no better than the battles he faced in his homeland. The only difference here was that death had come in the form of an army, whereas death in his homeland came in the form of mass destruction. Even now, the images from before still haunted him. The cries of horror, the tear-stained expressions of despair, the smell of iron, blood, rotting flesh, and gunpowder filling the air, the atrocities were endless.

And just as many of them were carried out by his own hand, all in the twisted name of justice.

He forced himself away from those memories. He didn't come here to reminisce about the past, he came here with a purpose in mind. It was why he agreed to follow Marth in the first place.

He had to find him...he had to find his best friend...the person that he betrayed out of his own selfishness. He didn't care if he never forgave him for what he did, but he was determined to make things right.

He could still remember it vividly, the expression on his face when he betrayed him. Lance grit his teeth. Looking back, how did he become so twisted to do such a thing? He had broken the trust his best friend had in him, trust that had built up for the past nine years.

Gods, he still remember running him through. He knew that this was how it was supposed to be for them. To atone for their sins, they would risk everything, and take on their own reversed roles. Even still... it was wrong. He didn't deserve what happened... neither of them did. It was like fate had made nothing but their lives a miserable joke.

This place was very much different from his own homeworld. He was used to the bustling, towering cityscape, not the middle ages of where superstition and reality blend together. At the very least, they didn't have gigantic machines of death, nor missiles. He cringed, remembering how much destruction one such missile caused. When he realized he was bordering on the hellish memories again, he shook his head, and turned his head back to Marth.

He moved like a blur, engaging the enemy without and fear and hesitation.

One warrior tried to swing his sword, but was quickly parried and knocked out of his hands.

Marth whirled around, his heel rammed straight into the warrior's jaw, sending him to the ground. Another had tried to run him through from behind, but the masked teen showed himself to be agile, throwing his sword into the air before following suit, leaping and rolling into the air before grabbing his sword. The lancer looked up, bringing up his spear to defend, but it did not do anything. When Marth came down, he brought his sword down with him, destroying the lance and slashing his chest open.

Blood spurted out as the spear-wielder went down. An axe-wielder took his place and swung wildly. Marth ducked under the heavy strikes.

"Begone!"

With a quick parry, he deflected the axe and used the momentum to increase his tempo, entering a wild flurry of swipes that nearly sent the warrior down to the ground. He tried desperately to defend, but to no avail. Marth had decided to end it by performing an upper swing, knocking the barbarian off balance. In that one second, Marth aimed his blade, and rammed it through, piercing straight through the armor, and cutting into the flesh, avoiding any vital organs.

He pulled the blade out as blood followed. The body fell as two more swordsman moved in to clash blades with him.

Marth didn't even so much as flinch from the oncoming enemies. Their blades were poised, ready to take him down in one strike, moving from either side. The blue-haired swordsman regarded them with a small "tch" of annoyance as he prepared himself.

WHen the blades came within range, he swung quickly and blocked one of them before leading it to strike the other.

In a swift flourish, Marth rotated, defending against two opponents without even so much as breaking a sweat.

He then swung upwards and disarmed the men before spinning and cutting through both.

A second passed. Two, then three. Finally, the soldiers fell to the ground, rendered unconscious. Marth twirled his blade around, flinging the blood covering his sword to the ground, and then slipping it back into it's sheath.

The masked teen looks up to his companion and the people who stood next to him.

It was one of the two ruling khans, Basilio. The man was vastly impressed, nodding his head at his tremendous swordplay whereas Lance simply leaned against the wall, with Lon'qu impressed at the display of skill Marth demonstrated. He and the khan had arrived not too long ago, just in time to see him execute the last of his opponents.

"I do appreciate you not killing them," Basilio smiled wryly. "But I'd also appreciate it if you didn't bang 'em up so much."

"I did not have much choice in the matter." Marth shrugged. "They weren't holding back, so I felt I should do the same."

"Haha! Well said for a warrior!"

Lance felt his lips tug upward. Typical response from someone like him. "Impressive." Lon'qu praised. "His skills are top-notch." He looked to the cloaked swordsman. "Does he intend to fight with you against khan Flavia's representatives as well?"

Lance shrugged his shoulders, glancing at Basilio. "Only if he allows it."

"I see..." Lon'qu nodded. "Well, given your ability, I wouldn't doubt it."

"By the by, Lon'qu..." the swordsman looked at the Myrmidon, lifting his head up to look him in the eye. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Feel free."

"Where did you learn that sword style of yours?"

"Through training, like anyone else." the stone-faced man replied. "Khan Basilio trains all of his men personally. Either your strong and become a warrior, or your weak, and remain as such. That said, any who couldn't hack it work under him through other ways. Intelligence, farming, anything that is of benefit."

"I see."

Lon'qu nodded in response to the verbal acknowledgement before asking a question of his own. "What of you? I've never seen someone so adept with a blade before, much less to that level of degree. Not only that, but you've also honed your body to become easily adaptable to the battle ahead of you. Very few warriors in Regna Ferox have that level of prowess."

"...I've been training my body for as long as I could remember..." Lance stated. "I learned I had to be strong to make it in the world...but that determination only got stronger later on."

"...I see." the Myrmidon nodded silently, not pressing matters further. In their battle against one another, he saw how Lance fought as if his very life depended on it. It wasn't uncommon to see such warriors, but it was rare to see them fight with that level of ability.

It was as if he was fighting to survive, no matter what was thrown as him.

Such warriors of his ilk were far and few, but his skill was without doubt. He sincerely doubted he could face him head on, and if it were a duel to the death... Lon'qu was sure he'd lose.

He was about to ask another question when a solider entered the colliseum, his armor and attire slightly foiled by snow. "Sir Basilio," the soldier saluted. "It appears that a number of soldiers have appeared at the front gates of the Feroxi Fort."

The dark-skinned man rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his only eye narrowing. "We know if they're brigands or Plegians looking for a war?"

"No, but khan Flavia's soldiers are already making their move."

"Shoulda figured." he scoffed. "Did you get a description of them?"

"Yes. They all appear to be from Ylisse, given their attire. We've spotted a Great Knight among their ranks, as well as two Cavaliers, along with a Cleric and a Mage."

Marth and Lance expressed mild surprise. That description sounded an awful lot like the group they encountered when they had arrived here. They shared a quick glance at one another.

_'They've arrived.'_

They knew that they would be here. That is one of the reasons why they waited here.

Now all that is left is to put them to the test.

* * *

L knew something was wrong as they came closer to the Fort. Warning bells were sounding off at every moment, an uneasy feeling left in his stomach. He wasn't sure why he was feeling this way, though it may have been because of the uneasiness that Frederick and Chrom shared. The anxiety became all the more intense when a scout had returned, his face grim.

Frederick shared a few words with the scout before he turned to Chrom, his jaw clenched. "Milord, it appears that the Feroxi guard is mobilizing."

Chrom became bewildered. They were already moving to intercept them? What was going on? They had only just arrived and planned to make diplomatic arrangements. They had no intention of fighting. "Do we know why?"

"No, but they look ready to attack on a moment's notice."

"...So I guess they're treating us as hostiles for now..." L groaned. Seriously, he knew that people were tense given the current state of the world, but at least give them a chance to speak!

"Seems like." Chrom nodded. "In that case, we should be prepared for a fight as well."

L nodded, agreeing with him. "In that case, we should probably limit our forces. If we go in all out, and get totaled, we're screwed."

"A sound strategy." Frederick said, pleased with the idea. "In that case, who would be the best to send in?"

L pressed a finger to his temple in thought. He looked over the people currently with him. "...For now, we send in Frederick, Sully, and Kellam, as they are able to take a hit and have equally strong offensive power."

Kellam smiled, happy that he was also included on the plan while Sully grinned, feeling a bit excited that she was about to go headfirst into battle. Frederick nodded, able to find the plan plausible. Chrom, however looked amused. "Am I not included in this plan?" he asked in mock hurt. "I'm hurt, L."

"Oh, please. Your the commander, so of course your on the front lines." L rolled his eyes. "Though the same could be said for me as well. We'll also need Lissa to heal us when things get too dangerous, and someone with good range, so either Miriel or Virion."

So all of us will be spread out to cover one another's weaknesses and aid one another?"

"That is exactly right."

Miriel pushed up her glasses. "In that case, I will go." she stated before the archer could say anything. "No offense to Sir Virion, but I doubt he will be able to properly defend himself from close range."

"No offense taken, m'lady." Virion nodded. "I won't deny that claim, as I'm more experienced at range combat than close quarters."

"So it's decided then."

Chrom nodded, and then adopted a more serious, stern face as he turned to the fort. "Alright then." he said. "Let's go."

"Yeah!/Right!/Yes m'lord!" Everyone spoke unanimously.

With that, they marched forward into the fort.

* * *

Not even half an hour before they set foot into the fort had armored soldiers stood before them, spears and arrows all at the ready. They all stood above stairwells and rooftops, some atop small towers. Those armed with spears and swords took their positions on the ground, the tip of their weapons aimed at them. In the center, standing before a large, giant metal gate that lead into Regna Ferox, was a lone woman, adorned in heavy, green armor, a stern face with a locked jaw, short blonde hair, and a spear in hand.

"Halt!" the woman, Raimi, demanded of them, slamming the butt of her spear into the ground. "You won't set another foot, my brave friend!"

L sighed. "I hate it when I'm right..."

"Well, at least we weren't taken by surprise." Kellam answered.

Chrom stepped forward. "We do not wish to fight! We merely wish to speak with the Khans!"

Hah!" the woman snorted. "As if I would listen to the words of a plegian dog!"

Chrom's eyes widened at that, as did L. Frederick's face morphed into a furious snarl, clearly not liking being referred in such a manner. "Plegian?! Now, see here, we are envoys for Lady Emmeryn!"

Raimi barked a laugh. "And I am the queen of Valm!"

"What do we do, Captain?" Sully asked. "They definitely don't look like they're gonna let us pass without a fight."

"You think?!" Vaike snapped back.

"Enough! It looks like the only way to get past them is to fight!" L barked.

"Please, hold a moment!" Chrom insisted, not wishing to engage. "We are not Plegians, nor do we have any intention if misleading you! There's no reason to fight!"

"On the contrary," Raimi glared. "There is plenty of reason!"

Frederick scowled, biting his lower lip. "Do you realize that your speaking to Prince Chrom, you mad woman?!"

The armored woman barked another laugh. "Is that right? You do realize that impersonating royalty is a capital offense, right?"

"Well," Miriel pushed up her glasses. "This is certainly going to be interesting."

L gritted his teeth as he turned back to the other Shepherds. "Stahl, Virion, Vaike, get back!" he ordered them. The three complied, moving away from the battlefield as quickly as possible. No sooner had they done so did a few Feroxi soldiers chased after them. The raven-haired tactician narrowed his eyes. 'As I thought, they had reinforcements ready at a moment's notice.' he smirked. 'Good, this lessens the odds of us being overwhelmed.'

With this, all they had to do was take care of the present soldiers before them. While the woman's claims were reasonable out of suspicion, L couldn't help but feel irritated at her words. He was going to enjoy knocking her down a peg.

"If what you say is true," Raimi raised her spear, as had the rest of the armored soldiers. "Then prove it on the battlefield!" With that said, she reared her arm, and threw the spear. The others soon followed, though the target of those spears made L's eyes widened in horror.

All of the spears were aimed at Chrom.

"CHROM, MOVE!" he yelled. The azure-haired prince realized too late where those spears were heading, and tried to bring out his sword. However, by the time he would remove an inch of the sword, the spears would have impaled him. There was no time to defend himself.

However, rather than hit flesh, the spears hit nothing but the ground.

"Wh-what?" L gaped, trying to process what happened.

The others looked shocked as well, especially the Feroxi soldiers. They were all looking around fiercely, as if trying to determined what had just happened. It wasn't until L noticed a few feathers dancing in the air that he heard what sounded like a horse neighing. His mind raced back to Sumia staying behind while on their way here, and immediately, his eyes widened. "It couldn't be..." he looked up, and sure enough, there it was.

The pegasus they encountered, with Sumia riding atop it, and seated right behind her, a still bewildered Chrom.

"Are you alright my lord?" Sumia asked as she steered the pegasus away from line of fire.

"Sumia! H-how did you...?!"

"How do you think?" she asked, looking over with a sweet smile. "This gal is quite something isn't she? Oh, but you better hold on tight. This might get bumpy."

Chrom could only nod dumbly. "Y-yeah..."

The Pegasus moved into a nose dive, startling Chrom from the sudden movement. He wrapped his arms around Sumia's waist to keep from falling off.

The girl squeaked a bit, her face heating up from the close contact. She could feel his strong arms pulling her close to him, the muscles practically felt through her armor. Oh, how she wanted to stay in those arms, just so close to her captain... but, unfortunately, such sentiments could wait. Right now, there was a battle to be won.

She directed the pegasus to climb out of the steep dive and flew above their comrades.

"Well that's quite an entrance..." L commented.

Sully couldn't help but whistle at the sight. "Damn, and here I thought Sumia didn't have it in her." she chuckled. "Pretty balsy move there, fly girl."

"Oh, geez." Lissa giggled. "What a bunch of lovebirds, am I right?"

"Milady," Frederick deadpanned. "Is now really the time?"

"What? I'm just stating the truth."

"In the middle of a battle?" L deadpanned.

The conversation ended when Sumia and her pegasus landed on the ground, hooves crunching the snow below it. "Sorry I took so long," Sumia apologized, allowing Chrom to be set down. "I'm here now, though."

"It's alright."

"It was a miracle that you arrived when you did. If you hadn't, then Chrom would've been Shish kebab."

"Shish kebab?" Chrom frowned, clearly having not heard the term before turning back to Raimi, who looked rather displeased by the whole thing. "I suppose we have no choice but to do things their way." he said as he pulled Falchion from it's sheath. "Alright then... Shepherds! To arms!"

"Yeah!" They raised their weapons in unison.

Raimi smirked. "Well then... COME!"

Finally, the two armies clashed.

* * *

"G-GRAAAAAAGH!"

Those were the last cries heard from the soldier as he fell back to the floor, a blade jammed in his throat, blood gushing from his throat in large globs. A bloodied puddle slowly formed on the ground. Those who witnessed the brutal, atrocious act backed away, faces pale in horror while the one responsible for it scowled, resting his hand on his chin. "What kind of useless idiots are you?!" he demanded, clearly displeased. He was a gaunt man with deathly pale skin, his dark red hair groomed back, a beard forming at his chin. His cheeks were sunken, and a demented, twisted crown sat atop his head, adorned in a high-collared shirt with a tattered red cape flowing behind him, complete with brown trousers and leather boots. "I give you one job! One job, and you all screw it up!"

"F-Forgive us, Your Majesty!" one of the soldiers cried out of fear. "It-it won't happen again!"

The king that stood before the glared at them with his crazed, darkened eyes, staring at them for several minutes that seemed like hours before his mouth curved into a sickening, cruel grin. "No... it won't."

He snapped his fingers.

Out of nowhere, spears and arrows came flying in from all directions ans skewered the poor souls.

The men didn't even have so much as a single chance to scream. They joined their comrade on the floor, their bodies all but impaled. The king that sat atop his throne, threw his head back, laughing madly. "Hahahahahahahaha! I never get tired of seeing poor buffoons beg for their miserable lives!" he grinned. "That's what they get for failing me!"

"My word~" a sultry voice said from the shadows, emerging to reveal themselves to the king. "Your as sadistic as ever, my lord."

"Of course I am!" The man snapped. "I am the Great King, Grangel!"

The figure laughed as the stepped before the Mad King of Plegia. It was a woman with long, pale hair, which contrasted to the dark tone of her skin, and the black ivory suit she wore. It hugged her body tightly revealing all of her curves, and exposing a fair amount of her cleavage. She sported a dark smile, grinning with sadistic pleasure as she took in the sight of the dead solders around her. "I take it these fools could not complete the task you gave them?"

Gangrel scoffed. "Of course not, all they did was give that pesky little princeling more fuel for his ego!" he scowled deeply, revealing his sharp molars. "I may as well just go ahead and start my own war instead of waiting around for that pathetic crone to finally grow a spine!"

"And risk losing the Fire Emblem in the process?"

"Grgh! You do bring a good point." He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

The Fire Emblem was what Gangrel sought after the most. No, in fact, it was what he would KILL to obtain! If the legends are to be believed, the Fire Emblem had the power to make one's wishes come true! The first Exalt of that damned country had used it to put down that dragon all those years ago, so what is to say it couldn't let Gangrel have his own wish?

To kill every last Ylissean?!

It was a glorious ideal! He would exterminate each and every one of those damned fools!

"By the by, milord..." Aversa bowed her head. "I believe I have found someone who may be able to obtain that which you have sought for so long..."

Gangrel raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? I hope your pawn isn't as pathetic as those last fools."

The response came from the shadows, their voice dark and mellodous. "I can assure you, my king..." they chuckled raspidly. "I am more than worthy for the task."

They stepped out of the shadows, revealing their form to Gangrel.

He was a tall, lanky figure with ashen gray skin. He was garbed in an ornate dark purple robe with gold edging. His dark hair was long and spiked up and he had a pointed beard.

"And who might you be?" Gangrel asked, clearly not impressed. "Another hound seeking my favor?"

The man smirked. "Hardly, my king..." he replied, kneeling with a hand over his chest. "Merely a Plegian who wishes to make Ylisse know despair."

An amused smile made it's way to the king's face. Well, at least the welp had something he could admire. "So..." he drawled. "You think you can take the Fire Emblem?"

"On the contrary, my king." the Dark Mage grinned darkly. "I will take both the Fire Emblem... and the life of our dear Exalt Emmeryn."

At this, the mad King was grinning in glee. "Excellent..."

Aversa smiled, bowing her head. "I trust this kind sir is to your liking?"

"Oh, more than that, Aversa." Gangrel laughed, leaning forward. "Tell me, mage... what is your name?"

The man lifted himself off the ground, and the smile on his face told nothing but darkness and despair.

"Validar, milord."

* * *

"Frederick, take the left flank! Kellam, take the right!"

"Right!" Both Knights nodded as they went to their respective positions.

L had wasted little time reading the opponent's accordingly. The archers remained close to their heavy-armored comrades, while those of lighter make held sword and spear in hand, looking ready to charge in. The archers would obviously going to take aim at Sumia, so they needed to be taken down first. Miriel would be close at her side while Lissa stayed with Chrom, who would take down the soldiers with Sully. He himself stayed close to the rear, keeping a close eye on the battlefield.

_'The leader placed herself at the back, but she's definitely far more experienced than the Brigands.'_ he thought cautiously. _'But she's definitely no Risen. If we can take her down on both sides, then maybe...'_

His mind analyzed the landscape and lay out of the battle field. Already he was devising a few vantage points where their forces can surround her after removing a few key obstacles.

_'The soldiers to the left and right need to go.'_

He already knew which people would be the best to take them out. Eliminate them from Afar.

"Miriel, Sumia," he instructed. "Take down the soldiers on the right! Kellam, back them up!"

The heavily-armored man nodded sternly. "You got it!"

Sumia looked nervous, as was to be expected from her first real battle, but she steeled her nervous, holding her lance tightly as she gripped unto the reigns of her steed. "Here we go, girl." she whispered to the winged horse. "It's time to get to work!"

Miriel pushed up her glasses as she flipped open her tome, runes dancing all around her. "This will be an excellent experiment."

The soldiers braced themselves for the fight that was to come, but L was far from done. "Frederick, Chrom, take down the guys on the left! Lissa, stick close to them!"

"Right!/You got it!" The three responded. Frederick led the charges with Chrom following my far behind. Lissa came up from the rear.

Finally, the battle began.

The nearest Axeman charged in and clashed weapons with Frederick. The Great Knight shrugged off the attack and backed away as Chrom took his place and dealt a heavy swing onto the enemy.

Falchion tore into the leather, just barely scratching the skin before the Warrior backed away, only for a Mercenary to take his blade, sword in hand. He charged right in, ready to cut him down when Frederick, on his stead, plowed right in front of him, using his spear to defend against the strike. The enemy scowled, seeing his assault defended against before he leaped back, ready to charge in again when Chrom intercepted him, taking to the air with his sword overhead.

The two were an unstoppable force, one covering the other while they advance and mowing down the foes before them.

Lissa couldn't help but smile at the duo as they forced the Warrior and the Mercenary back. She made sure to keep her distance, ready to heal them at a moment's notice, given how thick they were in the heat of battle.

On the other side, the archers were being bombarded with flames, and being forced to back away from the assault of Kellam, who wouldn't allow them to fire so much as a single arrow at Sumia, who had taken to the skies. She was tasked with eliminating any and all foes above, her stead flowing through the air with wind lashing against him.

Her winged steed swooped down as she took out nearby enemies.

Her spear slammed one of the archers into a wall, rendering him unconscious. The second tried to shoot her down in the confusion, but instead found himself being thrown back by an explosion caused by Miriel. "Never take your eyes off your opponent," she scolded.

"Sorry Miriel!" Sumia apologized as her Pegasus flew up once more.

Kellam pouted somewhat as he ducked underneath a strike from a Myrmidon before he rammed the butt of his spear into his stomach, ramming him into the wall, just as he did with the archer before. "Why is it that L can see me, but not everybody else?" he sighed. "It's just not fair..."

Back with Chrom and Frederick, the two had decided to force their opponents to fight them individually.

Frederick took care of the spearman to the left while Chrom locked blades with a swordsman to the right.

The azure-haired prince had more or less entered a duel with him, the two trading blows, but neither striking the other down. Frederick was practically rolling over the spearman, his stead running circles around the man while using his spear to repeatedly knock him down, or stab him in the leg or arm, hence limiting his movements.

L wish he could say that the battle was going well... but his own personal thoughts disagreed with him because of two reasons. The first was that neither side had gained the upper hand.

The second was that Raimi was currently trying to impale him with her own spear.

It was taking everything he could muster just to avoid each blow from making its mark.

"Stay still and fight you coward!" The woman barked as she stabbed again.

_'And risk being skewered? No thank you!'_ He had to get out of this. Not only to get away from Raimi, but to bring about victory for the Shepherds.

Unfortunately, the captain of the guard was not about to let him off the hook so easily. Her thrusts were swift and precise, not to mention strong and hard. Had this been earlier, L would have been thrown to the ground and killed a lot sooner. However, thanks to the hellish torture that Frederick called "training," he was able to easily defend himself, albeit struggling against the weight of Raimi's thrusts.

While the sword in his arm was still slightly off balance, it was not as awkward as it was before.

He was also not as tired as he was before, nor was his form so weak. He also felt slightly lighter off his feet, easily moving around Raimi's strikes. He made a quick block against a thrust that nearly sent him off his feet, but held his ground. 'Even if I counterattack, I doubt I'll do anything.' he noted. 'Her movements are fast, and even with this sword, I won't be able to do much. I need to get past that armor.' He swiftly ducked underneath a swing that would have lopped off his head, and retaliated with a backward strike. Raimi easily defended against it, parrying the attack and thrusting her spear again. L immediately threw his body to the left, rolling to the ground and through the snow while feeling the attack brush against his side.

"Will you stand still?!" the woman growled. "Which are you?! A warrior, or a pathetic weakling?!"

L stopped in his tracks.

Weak? ...Pathetic?

She had the nerve to call him _WEAK_?

Feb 9The violet eyes man grit his teeth in rage. He was not weak...he couldn't be weak...he **REFUSED** to be weak!

"Okay," he growled, eyes flaring in anger. "Now you've done it."

The grip on his sword tightened as he begun to go on the offensive.

Back with Chrom and the rest of the Shepherds, their battles were slowly coming to a close. Lissa brought up her stave, a light flowing from it and into Frederick, who had a minor crack in his armor plating, blood flowing from his shoulder as a result of a stab wound the lance wielder managed to get off of him before Frederick's horse rammed it's hoof into it's face, and threw him to the floor. Once the light poured into his shoulder, the blood ceased to flow. "You okay?" she asked in worry, though the stalwart knight nodded. "Hang in there, Frederick."

Chrom swiftly moved to the left, avoiding a strike that would have hit his shoulder. The mercenary went in for another strike, this time swirling round for a roundhouse swing, only to find his attack parried with a swift block of the blade. The azure-haired prince glared into the soldier, who now suddenly realized what was about to happen. "Now I'm angry!" He shrugged the blade off, and swung Falchion upward, throwing the soldier's sword into the air. With a quick flourish, he whirled around again, using the momentum of his strike from earlier, and tilted the blade enough so that only the flat end of the blade would strike him. It hit the mercenary right into the ribs, followed by a loud, shattering crack that snapped into the air, and again, followed by a cry of pain as the mercenary was thrown off his feet, and to the ground. All it took was a swift boot to the head to keep him from getting back up.

"And stay down..." Chrom spoke sternly. He then turned his head too look back at him comrades. "Are you two alright?"

Fine, milord," Frederick closed his eyes. "Though I'm afraid I suffered a small wound. He surprised me with that last one."

"Well, stay sharp, alright." he advised. "We still have plenty of work to do."

Miriel, Sumia, and Kellam were close to finishing things up on their end as well. The pegasus rider had all but taken down the archers, but now a Myrmidon and a Warrior remained, and they were not happy. Kellam was being bombarded with brutal and heavy attacks, his thick armor the only thing keeping him from sliced apart. He brought up his shield to deflect the overhead strike, repelling it and thrusting his spear, only to miss and scratch his side. Despite being slow, the Warrior was quick on his feet. 'I guess this is one time I wish people couldn't see me!' he thought, struggling to get an edge.

Miriel on the other hand was beginning to feel the strain from using offensive type magic for an extended period. Her reserves were being taxed quite heavily.

The Myrmidon was also not helping matters, as he wouldn't allow her to cast another spell. Her attacks were fierce, fast, and quick, and he left little breathing room for her. Each strike came quickly, as a few small tears were already found across her body, and a small cut along her cheek, which had blow flowing profusely. Cracks were found along her glasses' lens, making it hard for her to see.

"Miriel, Kellam!" Sumia cried out as her pegasus swooped down. "I'm coming!"

The mage jumped back, using her tome to tilt back the oncoming swing, forcing the blade to be diverted. It struck at the snow, allowing her to back away in time before the second swing came at her fast. "We won't be able to withstand this much longer..." she muttered, pushing up her glasses as the Myrmidon regained his stance. "We must find a way to defeat these two..."

L swiftly moved away from a strike of the lance, the blade grinding against his sword before he shrugged it off, immediately moving away from a swing that would have otherwise knocked him off balance, and stepped to a safe distance. Raimi smirked, seeing the flaring glare in his orbs. "A nice fire you have in you," she remarked. "I would ask why they have such a pattern to them, but I won't bother asking a dead man questions."

"Correction," he snarled. "The only dead one here is you."

'_If I wanted to, I could use my Geass...'_ he thought before a grimace fled to his lips._ 'But...'_

While he was tempted to use his power to end the fighting...he just couldn't. Taking away one's free will and make them submit...he just couldn't stomach such an atrocious act. These people have done nothing wrong and did not deserve such a fate.

L snapped out of his stupor to see a spearhead coming straight for him.

"SHIT!"

L had to drop down to avoid it.

The spear went right above his head, wind rushing right through his hair. Now that was down to the ground, crouched on his knee, he was able to see it:

The chink in the armor.

He gritted his teeth, rearing his arm back, and pulling the blade back. As he did this, Raimi raised her spear, ready to impale him.

"I have you now!"

The two struck at the same time.

However, there was a difference in both fighter's at that one moment. L had shifted his body to the right, keeping him safe from the full front of the spear. But the sharp weapon grazed him. But Raimi didn't even budge in her stance, and L smirked. The tip of his sword got through the small chink in the armor.

And the bronze blade pierced between the two plates, and dug straight into her shoulder.

"Grgh!" She grunted from the sharp pain.

Feb 10Raimi stumbled back, the grip on her spear slacking. L saw this as an opportunity, and acted on it, lashing his hand out as the female soldier pulled back, grabbing a fistful of her hair, and ramming his skull against hers. The instant, agonizing pain hit him all at once when he did so, though he managed to force her to stumble back, leaving her dazed. While she was still trying to regain her bearings, he took hold of her now fallen spear, left standing in the snow, and pulled it out from the ground, swirling his body around with the spear following him.

The blunt end rammed straight into her skull, effectively throwing her against the wall behind her, head first.

Her already fuzzy mind grew even cloudier as her brain was knocked around in her skull. Her vision became blurry and unfocused. If she didn't have a concussion before, she had one now.

"So..." she mumbled as L tossed the spear to the ground and picked up his sword. "Your claims were true..."

He slammed the hilt of the blade into her skull. Her heavy form swayed for a moment, and then lurched forward, hitting the snow.

She didn't get back up.

"Okay...well...that was a thing..." L huffed. He was beginning to feel his exhaustion, the adrenaline leaving his system.

"Oi, L!" Chrom shouted from his position as he and Frederick engaged the remaining two enemies that were giving Miriel and Kellam trouble. "You okay?!"

"Y-yeah!" he called back tiredly. "Just... peachy!"

He stabbed his sword in the ground to use as a make-shift crutch. He was exhausted. He didn't think he could move for a few minutes.

"It looks like he's tired out considerably." Frederick informed. "What should we do, milord?"

"We should let him rest. He did more then we could ask in this battle, Frederick. Let us finish the rest."

Frederick nodded. "Understood."

With that note, the duo charged in to dispatch the remaining forces.

Miriel took this time to recover, and finally felt her strength sap away, nearly throwing her off of her feet. She was caught by Sumia, who had finally managed to land on the ground after having dispatched a group of Cavaliers and Archers that had tried to shoot her down. "Oh... Thank you, Sumia."

"You should take a rest, Miriel." Sumia advised. "You seem on the verge of passing out."

"It's not just that..." the red-haired mage groaned. "This battle has taken it's toll on us... It appears that the strength of Feroxi soldiers is not without precedent."

"Indeed." She looked onto the battlefield.

Chrom and Frederick were dealing with their enemies once again, with Chrom taking the Warrior, and Frederick, the Myrmidon.

The sword of the Prince clashed with the axe of the warrior.

The axeman was certainly fast and light on his feet, showing diversity compared to others skilled with an axe as he tried to cut off Chrom's head, only to be repeatedly blocked against it with each parry. Frederick and the Myrmidon were duking it out, one side trying to cut down the other. Though the Great Knight obviously had the advantage, he was continued to be on the defensive, trying to take the flow of battle into his own hands, but was still being pushed back by the quick successions of attacks.

Frederick backpeddled on his steed in hopes of looking for an opening. After analyzing the Myrmidon's fighting style, that was when he saw it. WHenever he swung forward, he left his back defenseless.

Feb 11'His stance is near flawless while on the defensive, but when attacking, he has a single hole in his defenses.' the protector thought, seeing the opportunity. 'I must time this perfectly!'

The enemy swung wildly as Frederick protected himself from each of the attacks. His spear and defenses were being whittled away. But finally, the Myrmidon swung forward viciously.

'There it is!' Frederick thrust his spear forward.

Feb 11However, as soon as he lurched forward, his spear was knocked off balance by an axe. Frederick's reaction was total shock, not expecting an attack like that to come out of nowhere before he noticed the Warrior, was now without a weapon. 'He threw his axe to deflect my attack?!' Frederick thought in outrage before he brought up his spear, barely managing to defend against the Myrmidon's sudden attack.

"Frederick!" Chrom cried out, about to help when the Warrior struck, holding a new axe in his hand. He leaped into the air, weapon overhead with the intent of cutting into the prince's skull. The azure-haired warrior jumped back, evading the strike, and tried to use the moment to regain the upper hand, thrusting his blade forward, only to be met with the axe's handle stopping his advance. "Damn!" he cursed as the Warrior shrugged off the attack, and went back to trying to cut him down.

Chrom parried the axe away and backpedaled to gain some room.

From where L was, he struggled to get to his feet, his strength only in what little remained of his stamina, which had been burnt out after his own skirmish had reached it's end. "Dammit..."

Even after his training, he still couldn't fight continuously like the others. Although that was to be expected since he was only training for a short period of time in comparison to them.

At first, he didn't want to train so much, especially given how grueling the tasks were, but now, he sorely understood the need. The battle had dragged out, and now they were growing sluggish. Miriel was tired from being on the offensive, and Kellam's armor was only now starting to wear him down. The enemies had finally managed to figure them out, and Frederick's wound had not been fully healed, as he had a slight limp in his arm. He hoped that Vaike and the others had managed to fend off the reinforcements they drew away from them.

'There's got to be a way to get around them.' he thought desperately, watching the flow of battle carefully. 'Those two are looking after each other, noticing Chrom and Frederick's flaws, and taking advantage of them. They working like a team...'

...wait, team?

That was when he took a closer examination of their fighting styles. When one was under peril, the other would move to cover them.

'That's it!'

He now knew what to do. He could turn the tide!

"Kellame!" he shouted, earning the attention of the tired knight. "Help Chrom! Back him up! Lissa, heal up Miriel! She needs to give Frederick some breathing room!"

"Right, L!" Both nodded. Lissa immediately moved towards the two while Kellam, just having finished his fight, followed.

The Warrior had finally managed to shove Chrom back into a corner, the prince growing tired with each parry. It was a staggering feeling, being forced to defend while the enemy kept pushing you back. How was he even capable of this? Were all Feroxi warriors this dangerous? Their stamina and ferocity was something to be admired indeed, it was little wonder why people called Regna Ferox a nation of brutes if all of them were this tenacious. Even still, he couldn't give up. Not when Emmeryn was counting on him.

"Sorry, COMING THROUGH!"

Chrom blinked when the Warrior whirled his head around, only to find himself throttled as he was shoved away. It was Kellam, though he too looked rather worse for wear, with sweat pouring down his face. "K-Kellam?!"

"Sorry, captain..." he apologized. "I don't think I've been this tired in a while..."

"Don't worry, my friend." he assured him, smiling as he turned his attention to the enemy, who managed to recompose himself, and brace his body for action. "I take it L's figured out something?"

"I guess so." Kellam replied, smirking. "Seeing these guys fighting you and Frederick must have given him some idea. Lissa's healing up Miriel so she can help out Frederick."

"I see..." Chrom looked in the direction where the two females were. Lissa had just finished patching up Miriel. The bespectacled woman was now at ready.

If the crossed look on Miriel's face anything... the Myrmidon was about to be singed. "I do NOT like being forced to the sidelines, I hope you know." she said as she propped open her tome. "Sir Frederick, if you would be so kind..." A glare reflected in her glasses. "Get the hell out of the way."

She didn't even wait for a reply as she shot forward a fireball.

"A little more warning in advance would be nice!" The Protector said in alarm as he immediately moved out of the line of fire to avoid being charred. The Myrmidon wasn't so fortunate.

The fire ball landed right at his feet, nearly knocking him off of his feet, and scrambled back, a few embers burning into his clothes.

He patted them furiously in a vain attempt to put them out. In this moment of distraction, his guard was down.

He didn't even notice the spar coming for him until the blade rammed into his shoulder, and pinned him to the wall.

"Guh...gagh..." He choked out as he grasped the shaft to pull it out. But Frederick twisted the weapon, eliciting another pained cry from the wounded man.

He didn't get much chance to scream further when a blast of flame rammed right into him.

His cries were silenced as his mouth was scorched.

Second passed as the flames died down, but the Myrmidon's body was scorched, albeit alive, evident by the rising and falling of his chest. Frederick removed his spear from the man's shoulder, leaving him to slump to the ground.

One more opponent down. One more remained.

And the axe wielder found himself being pushed back by Kellam and Chrom. The azure-haired prince would strike back quickly and swiftly, striking away at his axe while Kellam moved in to defend him when the axe wielder tried to knock him down or end him.

The tables have turned for him as his partner was no longer in the fight and he was agaisnt two foes.

He tried to force Chrom into a corner, but Kellam intercepted, bringing up his shield in the last second, knocking the axe up. "Captain!" he cried out as the Warrior tried to regain his balance. He wasn't given any time as Chrom began his assault, moving toward him, blade in hand.

He swung fiercely, creating numerous gashes through the axe mans flesh.

Each swift and heavy strike kept the Warrior backpedaling, trying to defend against the onslaught, but each and every time, Chrom would find a way around him, managing to nick or cut into him. When his swift assault ended, Kellam would step in to defend him, unable to allow the enemy to so much as get at him. The fact that his armor was so thick and heavy, and how mobile he was in spite of it's size, was incomprehensible to the warrior. How was able to fight like that? Even Raimi wasn't this excelled in defense!

As the warrior continued to ram away at Kellam, trying to break through his defenses, he failed to notice the triumphant smirk on Kellam's face. He didn't even notice the azure-haired prince right behind him, sword ready. When the Warrior did notice, it was too late.

One swing was all it took. A massive gash appeared across his chest as blood splattered.

The warrior could only let out a weak groan as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and his body fell back to the snow. While the wound may have not been deep, it was still serious. At any rate, it was finally over. The battle was done. All of their enemies were defeated.

"Thank god...we won..."

L sighed heavily, nearly falling to his rear end. Now, exhaustion was truly starting to weigh down on him. He never would have imagined that this battle would be so long, much less difficult.

Truly...the Warriors of Ferox were tenacious.

If they managed to convince the khan, the support they needed would definitely be gracious if all of their realm's warriors were of this caliber, and possibly higher. Still, while they hadn't killed any of them, they had certainly made a mess of things. In their state, it was a possibility that the khan would not approve of this action, despite the guards provoking them first. They did demand that they prove who they were via combat, and they paid the price.

As he struggled to get back to his feet, L suddenly heard a sharp clapping sound behind him. "Not bad, Prince Chrom," a strong, female voice boomed. "Quite the army you have, and a rather fiery tactician. I am quite impressed."

The group, alerted by the presence, turned to face the newcomer. It was a woman with dark skin and blonde hair, tied back into a messy ponytail, adorned in silver, gray, and red armor, her presence being similar to Sully, sans her posture and the sharp look in her eyes. The raven-haired tactician could easily tell that she was well-versed in combat, far more so than any of them, and had more than taken down small fry. This woman was someone with authority and power, holding it in spades, and had more than enough power to bring the axe down. In other words, she was not one they wished to provoke, but if the grin she sported as any indication, she was greatly impressed by what she had seen.

Chrom narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?" he asked at point-blank. In response, the woman laughed.

"Straight to the point, eh?" she said, amused. "How charming." She then lowered her arms, one hand at her hip, and the other hanging at her side. "The name's Flavia, the East Khan." She smirked when she saw shocked expressions make themselves known across the Shepherds' faces. "Now then, do come inside... we have much to discuss."

_Episode 4: The Brewing of a Storm_


End file.
